Fairy Tale (Version 2)
by Jase2rt
Summary: Steven has lost his memory but he's found himself...in a world that shouldn't be real.


Fairy Tale

by

Jefferson Stewart

Disclaimer:

Almost every single character in this story is owned by the Walt Disney Company. This is a work of fan-fiction. I don't even have permission to quote the Lou Reed lyrics.

So, yeah, sorry about that.

Chapter One

I sat on the bench outside the general store and attempted to contemplate my situation. I say attempted to in that great chunks of my memory seemed to be missing. Who exactly I was or where I had come from or even what I had been doing before I had sat on that bench, I could not have said.

 _What's your name?_ I asked myself. _My name is...Steven. Steven? Yes, that's right._ That was good. I knew my name was Steven. It was a start. _And my last name is...I have no idea. Come on, you have a last name. You're not Cher, dammit._ I knew who Cher was but I didn't know my last name. Interesting.

Al walked past, guitar in hand. I recognized him and I took that as a good sign. _Sure, I know Al._ He nodded to me. A nod that said _I acknowledge that you are sitting there and that's all your going to get from me at this time_. He turned and headed in the direction of the mountains. Mountains that I also recognized. Al and the mountains, two vital clues. Now at least I knew where I was.

But that didn't make it make any sense. For one thing, other than Al, my surroundings appeared to be deserted. For another, though they looked familiar, they also looked a little different in a way I couldn't yet define. And for perhaps the most important reason the _living, breathing Big frickin' Al had just walked past me and nodded to me._

I decided that nothing was going to make any more sense without me getting up off my butt and taking a look around.

Once I began to walk I started to understand what was different about what should have been familiar. Buildings were bigger. Things seemed a bit more spaced out. I believed wholeheartedly that I was in Disney World's Magic Kingdom, but it seemed to be designed more for habitation than amusement.

I wandered out of Frontierland and towards Liberty Square, looking for the mansion. _That's my favorite ride_ , I told myself. _If anything will make me feel comfortable, it will be riding the Haunted Mansion_.

The queue featured none of the interactive statuary I remembered (or felt should be there) but the building itself looked correct. The front door was open, as was the door that lead to the portrait gallery. As I stepped inside, the door behind me slid shut. I'd never had the ride to myself before. I felt both excited and a little scared.

"When hinges creak in doorless chambers..." began the familiar narration. I listened to the rest of the Ghost Host's spiel as the room stretched. At the climax, when the lights went out and the lightning revealed the corpse hanging above me, only to be followed by more darkness, I waited for the sound of the body hitting the floor.

It did not come. Instead the lights came back on and from above me came the voice of Paul Frees.

"Why, hello down there!"

I looked up to see the Ghost Host waving to me. He was smiling.

I gulped. "Hello to you, as well."

"I'll be right down." He reached up and seemed to break off the rope with his right hand. Then he dropped to the ground right in front of me, landing on his feet. He brushed some dust from his jacket and gave a little bow.

"You must be Master Gracey" I said.

He laughed. "Not officially, no. That's something the guests came up with. Of all the headstones in the graveyard, they chose that one to represent me. I suppose because I am the host, after all. Well, popular usage being what it is, the name has stuck but, please, don't call me Master. Gracey will do quite well, thank you."  
We shook hands. While his flesh looked rotten, his handshake was firm and warm.

"Gracey it is, then", I said. "My name is Steven. It's an honor to meet you."

"An honor? Really?"

I shrugged and smiled. "I've always loved the Haunted Mansion. I'm pretty sure I have every word of your narration memorized. I also think I have more t-shirts from this ride than I should know what to do with."

Gracey laughed. "Then an honor it is! Well, tell me something Steven. Even if you know the majority of the secrets of our ghastly retreat, would you still be interested in a little guided tour?"

"Are you kidding? I'd love it."

The door leading the the doom buggies slid open and Gracey held out a hand, indicating the path.  
"Well then Steven, after you."  
Once we boarded our buggy, Gracey pulled down the safety bar and we began to ride through the Mansion. For the first few scenes, it was just like I remembered it. That changed when we entered Madame Leota's chamber.

Gracey bowed to her. She raised one eyebrow.

"Who is this you have brought, Gracey?"

"Dearest Leota, allow me to introduce Steven."  
Her eyes widened. "Number one thousand?"

"No, no. Nothing like that. Just a guest from the outer world."

I bowed my head. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Madame Leota."  
Her crystal ball floated closer, as if she was looking me over.

"And a pleasure to meet you as well, Steven. I have a feeling we will be seeing more of each other soon."

As our buggy left her chamber, I leaned towards Gracey.

"What did you mean by the outer world?"  
"Oh...that's just what we call your world around here. Please, think nothing of it."

" _My_ world?"

"Don't worry about it, Steven. Look now, we've arrived at the ballroom. So many introductions to make."  
After several minutes meeting the dancers, duelists, organist and assorted partygoers, we moved on to the attic. When Constance saw me she dropped her hatchet and practically skipped over to the buggy.

"Gracey! Who in the world is this...fine, young gentleman?"  
"Constance, my dear, allow me to present Steven. He's our biggest fan."

She positively beamed and held out her hand for me to kiss. I obliged and found that she was anything but incorporeal.

"Very happy to make your acquaintance, Miss Hatchetway."

She giggled as she took back her hand. If she hadn't been ghostly blue and white, I'd have sworn she was blushing.

"Just call me Constance, my dear." Then she turned her attention to Gracey. "Bring him back, _anytime_ , ok?"

We travelled down from the attic, into the graveyard where the caretaker looked less nervous than usual and I was able to shake his hand and pet his dog. He told me his name was Don and that the dog was known as Rolly.

The ghosts, ghouls and singing busts were all happy to meet me. Everyone being so kind and charming threw me off a little bit but did nothing to diminish my excitement.

When it came time to meet the three hitch-hikers, I shook each of their hands as they introduced themselves as Ezra, Phineas and Gus. Like Gracey, their names had stuck due to popular usage. A memory came to me and I told Ezra that I had dressed as him for Halloween one year. That got a chuckle out of him.

When we reached the offload area, Gracey raised the safety bar and I stepped out of the doom buggy.

"Well, Steven, here is where I leave you. I do hope you enjoyed our little tour."

"Very much so, Gracey. Thank you."  
"It was our pleasure. I hope we meet again."

"Are you going to tell me that a ghost is going to follow me home?"

He chewed his lip for a second, seeming to be wondering what the proper response should be.

"No, Steven", he said with a smile. "I'll just say this. Look alive!"

The buggy continued along the track and out of sight.

I wandered across the empty park, towards Cinderella's castle. I saw no one but my initial suspicions continued to be true. This version of the Magic Kingdom was larger and more spacious.

I passed the castle and headed into Tomorrowland. The People Mover ran above my head, though devoid of passengers.

I could hear the engines of the Tomorrowland Speedway cars and hoped that meant that I would find someone else there to talk to, someone who might be able to clue me in to what exactly was going on. Though, to the best of my spotty memory, the speedway had never had any characters associated with it.

I looked out at the track and saw the empty cars puttering their way along. Slow and stinking of gas and, without drivers to steer them, banging into the center rail as much as usual.

"These things are pathetic!"

I turned to find the source of the comment.

"Too slow! You can't race cars like that! What good are they? I mean, really!"

I laughed. She laughed as well.

Standing next to me was Vanellope Von Schweetz. Not like a character in a mask or a costume, but an honest, flesh and blood, Vanellope.

"You seem confused, pal. What's got you feeling weirded out?"  
"I suppose I'm lost."

"Have you tried looking at a map?"  
Before I could respond, she burst out laughing. "Just a joke, buddy! Hey, if you're truly feeling bewildered, you should hit Main Street and talk to the boss. He'll have the cure for what ails ya!"

"The boss?" I asked.

"Hello? Mickey! I mean, duh."  
"Right. I didn't think of that. Mickey. Of course." It seemed the appropriate thing to do, so I bowed to her. "Thank you, your highness."

"Ha! None of that highness nonsense! It's just Vanellope."

I thanked her again and left her to continue watching the slow moving cars.

Vanellope was right, of course. Standing in the middle of Main Street, right by the chamber of commerce was Mickey Mouse. Not Mickey as I'd had my picture taken with him in the parks, but a real, live, three foot tall mouse. Red pants, white gloves and big yellow shoes. Pluto was seated beside him.

"There you are, Steven!" he said. "I was hoping you'd drop by! How's it going, pal?"

We shook hands and I said "Well, I'm not really sure."  
"Disoriented, huh? That's to be expected. Nothing to worry about, though. You know what I like when I'm feeling a bit confused?"

"What's that?"

"Ice cream!" He laughed and took hold of my hand. "Come on. Do you like mint chocolate chip? That's my favorite!"

I sat at the table, Pluto beside me and enjoying having his head scratched. Mickey set two bowls of ice cream down and took the seat opposite me.

"Tuck in, pal!"  
"Thank you", I said and took a bite. It wasn't the first flavor I would have gone for but it did taste good and I had no desire to be an ungrateful guest.

"Around here you may hear some people refer to me as 'the boss'", Mickey said. "But that's not true. I'm no one's boss. I suppose that by default I am some kind of leader. A benevolent one, of course."

"Of course."

"One thing that is true is I pretty much always know where everyone is. That was how I knew to expect you just now. I can't really say _how_ you got here but you _are_ here and welcome to be so. Consider yourself at home for as long as you stay."

"That's very kind of you, sir."

"Sir?" He laughed again. "No 'sir's required. Just call me Mickey. I'm your pal and you're mine."

I smiled. "Thank you, Mickey."  
"So, tell me who else you've met so far."  
"Well...all the various residents of the Haunted Mansion. And Vanellope. Also Big Al, but we didn't really...talk."  
"He's a bear of few words."

"Are all the characters from the rides and movies here?"

"Most of them. Between here and Disneyland, that is."  
"Is Disneyland like...this?"

He smiled. "You mean real?"  
"Yes, that's what I mean."  
He thought about that for a second. "Yes, Steven. It's real. I like to think of this place as DisneyWorld, all one word."

"Unlike in the...outer world?"  
"Don't tell me. Gracey called it that, right?"

"Yes."  
"Yes, Steven. The outer world is where you are from. DisneyWorld and Disneyland here are like the ones in the outer world, but different. The people you will meet here are different as well. They won't all be like you might expect."  
"How so?"

"Well...take villains, for example. Just last night I had a long chat with Captain Hook. We get along just fine and he's on good terms with Peter and Tink and Wendy. So, if you happen to see him or Scar or Jafar, don't be scared."

"So it's every character, then? What about the children from It's A Small World or the Hall of Presidents?"

Mickey laughed so hard at that, a little ice cream came out of his nose, which he wiped away with a paper napkin.

"Oh boy! No, no that would be a notable exception. Could you imagine Richard Nixon wandering around Tomorrowland or Andrew Jackson strolling through Frontierland?"  
"I imagine Pocahontas might have some strong words for him."

"At least! No, you won't be encountering any presidents. Or the children from It's A Small World or animals from the Jungle Cruise, for that matter. You'll find the characters you would expect to find. Let's put it that way."  
"Even the Marvel and Star Wars ones? And the Muppets?"

He laughed. "Yep! They're all here. Or in Disneyland."

"OK. This is going to be interesting."  
"Anything else you want to know?"  
"Well...where do I go when the park closes down tonight?"

He smiled. "Well, firstly, the park never closes. Since many of us live here, unless we're all asleep, there's always something going on. Secondly, you have a room waiting for you at the Contemporary. Do you know where that is?"  
"Right across the street from Magic Kingdom. Yes, I remember staying there. I _think_ I remember it, that is."

"Well, you have a suite on the twelfth floor. Number 1212. Should be easy enough to remember, right?"  
"Yes. Where do I get my key?"  
"You won't need one. Doors don't lock as there won't be a reason to lock them and, trust me, no one is going to come in without knocking or being invited."  
"OK."

"Do you know where the conference rooms are at the Contemporary?"  
"I'm sure I can find them."  
"Conference room number two, remember that. If there's anything you need that isn't in your room, just check there. You'll find what you're looking for."

"Thank you, Mickey. You're very kind."

"It's our pleasure. We want you to be as comfortable as possible for as long as you're here."  
"I think I may head over there after I leave you. Perhaps a little lie down would be good."  
"That sounds like a swell idea. You do look a little worn out. Have a nap. Naps are underrated, in my opinion. Would you like to join us for dinner later?"

"Sure. I'd love to."  
"Well, if your'e up and about and feeling hungry, every night at six there's a kind of communal dinner at Be Our Guest. Whoever is up for it shows up. Might be twenty people, might be a hundred and, of course, we'd love to have you there."  
"I'd like that. Very much, I suspect."  
"Then we'll see you at six" he said with a smile. It was impossible not to feel comforted in his presence.

Making my way down Main Street, I passed Tiana and Naveen. They smiled and waved and I returned the gesture. Then I left Magic Kingdom and walked across the street to the Contemporary hotel.

In any other situation I would have found the empty hotel to be eerie, but instead the lack of sound or activity barely crossed my mind. I took the elevator to the twelfth floor, where I found room 1212 to be right in the middle, equidistant between the elevators and drink machines.

The door opened to my touch. The suite was nice, comprising a living room, a bedroom and a large bathroom. I found a selection of clothes in the drawers and closets and they felt familiar enough for me to believe they were actually mine. Four books, including one I recognized as a title I had struggled with before, were on the living room table. There was no question of the suite being mine.

I went into the bedroom, took off my shoes and lay down on the bed. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep but it didn't come. It was impossible to not think of the remarkable situation I found myself in as well as the terrifying question of how I had gotten there. I told myself that it was simply the most serious dream I had ever had and tried to stick with that. Then I opened my eyes and turned on the television. I found pretty much what I would have expected. Game shows, old reruns and Disney cartoons. The one thing completely missing was news. I couldn't find a single news channel or show. Not even weather.

At five, I took a hot bath. Then I dressed and left the suite for my return journey to Magic Kingdom.

Every inch of the park that I covered on my way to Be Our Guest was practically empty. The interior of the restaurant was another matter, however. The place was packed. Every kind of character moved to and fro, plates full of food in their hands. I saw Scar and the Genie sharing a joke, Eeyore waiting his turn behind Cinderella at the punch bowl and Donald carrying a tray full of food to his table, Daisy walking next to him.

Mickey noticed me and waved me over. He was with Minnie, who gave me a big hug when I reached the two of them.

"Steven, it's so good to meet you!"

"Thank you, Minnie. It's a pleasure to be here."

Mickey shook my hand. "Glad you could join us, pal!"  
"I don't see how I could pass this up."  
All of a sudden, I found myself surrounded. Royalty, animals, villains, you name it. They all wanted to shake my hand or pat my shoulder or hug me. After a while I began to wonder if some of it wasn't just that they were friendly but that some of them simply wanted to know what someone like me felt like.

As the crowed thinned, Rapunzel took me by the arm. Her hair was short and brown, as it had been at the end of her film and it took me a second to recognize her. "Come and sit with us", she said. "We have an extra seat at our table."

She led me to the West Wing, to a table that was occupied by Flynn Rider and Merida. I sat next to Merida and across from Flynn.

"How are you liking it so far?" he asked.

"To be honest, it's surreal. No, it's more than that. It's like I'm in a mental battle of wether or not to believe it."

Merida put her hand on my shoulder. "Believe it. You're here and we're happy to have you."

"Thank you. You're very kind."  
Our moment of calm was disrupted by the appearance of Jack Sparrow, who slammed his hands down on the table and stared at me, a sly grin on his face.

"So you're the outworlder...can't see what all the fuss is about, myself but...still, welcome aboard matey." He touched the brim of his hat and staggered away. I couldn't tell if he was actually drunk or just playing the part.

"Wow", Rapunzel said. "We don't see Jack in here all that often."  
"Why's that?" I asked.

"This place doesn't serve rum", Flynn answered.

I nodded. "Right."

We spent the next hour or so eating, drinking and talking. Merida told me of the places that she liked to ride Angus and how well he and Maximus got along. Flynn regaled me with stories of hopping across the rooftops of the parks, as if his thieving days had never ended and Rapunzel told me of her hobbies as well as asking me about mine.

"Well...I like watching movies, listening to music and reading books. That might be it. My memory's not great but I don't _think_ I'm...artistic as such."

"You don't paint? Or write? Or sculpt, maybe?"

I shook my head and then a thought occurred to me. "Well, I can do a few magic tricks."

Her face lit up. "Ooh! Show us some! Please! Even just one. _Please_."

Flynn laughed. Merida set down her glass and turned to me. "Oh yes, I'd quite like to see some magic. Go on."  
I reached into my jeans pocket and pulled out a deck of cards. I passed them to Flynn. "Would you shuffle them, please?"  
He shuffled the deck with a clever grin on his face.

"Does anyone have a pen and a piece of paper that I could use?"  
From her bag, Rapunzel produced a notebook and a pen. The pen was pink with purple flowers on it. She handed me the pen, then tore a page from the book and handed me that as well. I retrieved the deck from Flynn and spread it, face up.

"They're pretty mixed up, yes?" I asked.

Everyone agreed that they were.

I squared the deck and set it on the table. Then I wrote a message on the paper and folded it several times. I handed the pen back to Rapunzel and gave the paper to Merida.

"Put that away and don't let anyone see it, OK?"  
She smiled as she slid the note into her pocket.

I spread the deck once more, this time face down. "Rapunzel, if you would be so kind, would you please pick a card? You don't have to take it from the deck. Just place your finger on the back of the card you want."  
She moved her finger back and forth and settled on one close to the bottom.

"Do you want to stick with that one? You can change your mind if you like."  
She chewed her lip and looked at where her finger had stopped.

"No...I want this one."  
"OK. Thank you." I cut the deck at the card she had chosen and held it up so that everyone, but me, could see it.

"Did everyone get a good look?"  
They all agreed that they had. I set the deck on the table and turned to Merida. "Would you please read the note that I gave you?"  
She retrieved the paper and unfolded it. Then she read out my message.

"Rapunzel, thank you for asking me to join you for dinner. You're all very kind and, by the way, the card you touched was the two of hearts."  
Rapunzel's jaw dropped. Merida looked at me with a shocked expression on her face, then burst out laughing. Flynn clapped twice.

"Nicely done, Steven", he said. "That was pretty cool."  
"Oh my god!" Rapunzel exclaimed. "How did you do that? No, don't tell me! I don't want to know! Except that I do. That was unbelievable! Could you teach me to do that? I promise to never tell anyone how it's done!"

I laughed. "That one's kind of hard to do well. Maybe there's another I could teach you."

"I've always wanted to learn magic!" She was practically bouncing in her chair.

"You certainly could use another hobby", Flynn said.

"I know! This is so exciting!"

As I was leaving, a man I did not recognize shook my hand.

"Glad you could join us" he said.

"Thank you. I'm sorry but..."  
He laughed. "It's OK. You'd know me if I was furry and wearing a waistcoat."  
"Oh my god! Of course! I mean, I _am_ in your home, after all."

"And welcome to dine here whenever you like."  
"What should I call you? Not Beast-"  
"Adam. My name is Adam."  
I smiled. "Popular usage?"

He nodded with a grin. "You've been to the Mansion, I see."

Back in my room, with a full belly and another relaxing bath behind me, I crawled into bed. I considered setting an alarm but couldn't think of a reason why. Instead I turned out the lights, drew the covers tight around me and thought on the bizarre day I'd had.

If I was still there when I woke up, I was going to have to come up with a trick to teach Rapunzel.

Chapter Two

When I woke the following morning, I spent a little time deciding if I was ready to open my eyes. On one hand, my rational brain fully expected that I would be back in my own bed, in my own life, wherever that might be. The less rational part of my brain, however, wanted to believe that I was still in Disneyworld.

Rationality lost out.

It was just after nine. I took a hot shower and put on fresh clothes. Then I left my room and went in search of breakfast.

The Wave looked open for business, but of course there was no one else present. The buffet was fully stocked with fresh food, both the exact contents and exact amount that I wanted. It was a repeat of the previous night at Be Our Guest. There had been no servers to take our orders. You just went to the kitchen and what you wanted was waiting for you. Magic, apparently.

After eating, I returned to my room to brush my teeth and then, with a slight sense of trepidation, I made my way back to Magic Kingdom. My nervousness was for two reasons. One, the events of the previous day might turn out to be a weird dream after all, the seemingly empty hotel somehow to the contrary. Two, because things might be just as they had been the day before and I might find myself riding Space Mountain with Wall-E.

While Main Street was quiet but as I approached the gateway to Adventureland, I passed Jasmine, who gave me a friendly smile and a wave. Davy Jones and Redd were discussing something outside Pirates of the Caribbean and though Redd smiled to me, Davy Jones barely acknowledged my existence. This left me with little desire to actually _ride_ Pirates, so I moved on to Frontierland.

I rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad with Donald and Daisy. As we were exiting, I asked them what was probably a stupid question.

"What do you do for fun around here?"

Donald laughed. Daisy patted my hand and said "You're already doing it. Just look around, Steven. You can never run out of things to do here."

Her words echoed with me as I sat in Skipper Canteen, eating my salad. She was right, of course. I was in a theme park. I was in _the_ theme park. But, even though I had three more I could explore, if all I did was ride rides all day, that was going to get old at some point.

"Mind if I join you?"  
I looked up to find a man wearing a sweatshirt and jeans and carrying an elaborate ice cream sundae. He looked almost exactly like Benedict Cumberbatch.

"Of course."  
He sat opposite me and shook my hand. "Stephen Strange. Good to meet you."

"Steven...yeah, I don't really remember my last name."

He nodded. "Mickey said you were having memory issues. Sorry to hear that."  
"I guess the situation with Universal doesn't prevent you from being here. That's interesting."  
"Contracts and the conflicts they arise are outerworld problems. None of our concern here."

"You're the first Marvel...uh..."

"You can say character. I won't be offended."

"OK, well, you're the first one I've encountered."  
He nodded. "That's unlikely to change anytime soon. The rest of the family tend to prefer Disneyland. They visit every so often. Steve Rogers keeps a place in Hollywood Studios. He tends to go back and forth, depending on who's company he wants to keep at the time."

"Do you live in Magic Kingdom?"  
"No. I have a home in the Morocco pavilion of World Showcase."

"I haven't visited Epcot yet. I should. I always loved World Showcase. Especially the food."  
"Anything else I can clear up for you? Being new here, I'm sure you're full of questions. Don't worry about being a bother. A foolish person keeps their mouth closed, assuming they already know all that they need to know. A closed mouth can lead to a closed mind."

"I can't think of anything right now. Of course, as soon as we part company, I'm sure I'll have a laundry list of questions."  
He smiled. "That's the way it works. Instead, I'll ask you something. Do you have any hobbies?"  
"Rapunzel asked me the very same thing last night."  
"Unsurprising. So, do you?"  
"Reading would be my number one. Watching movies, a close second."  
"Excellent answers. Plenty of time here to catch up on both."

"I also do a little magic. Though not the same kind as you."  
"That's an interesting wrinkle."  
"Would you like to see a trick?"

"I hope you're not offended if I say no."  
"Not at all."  
"Good. The reason I said it was interesting is that, in a world full of people like Facilier, the Genie, Jafar and myself, you'll be the only one who's magic is entirely trickery. Interesting, indeed."  
"Rapunzel wants me to teach her."  
He took another bite of ice cream. "Also unsurprising. She is a charming young woman and I doubt that she will ever meet a hobby or pursuit that she won't want to take up."

"I guess Flynn is OK with that."  
"Flynn loves her as she is. That is the important thing."

That day set my routine for the next several days. Get up, eat breakfast at The Wave and then hit the Kingdom. Ride some rides, have lunch, usually on my own though sometimes with Belle and Adam, ride a few more rides and finish up with dinner at Be Our Guest.

There were slight deviations here and there.

I lost three games of chess to Tiana.

I taught Rapunzel a card trick and she mastered it so quickly I had to come up with a more challenging one a couple days later.

Some nights there would be music and dancing after dinner and on one occasion, Redd asked me to dance. How could I refuse?

Ursula flirted with me, which was a little scary as I couldn't tell if she was joking or not.

I raced a stormtrooper around the track in Tomorrowland and beat him. They can't drive either.

Every night ended with me back in my suite, reading a page or two of Thomas Pynchon and then falling asleep, becoming more convinced each night that I would not find myself back in the outerworld in the morning.

I even called it "the outerworld". I was settling in.

I was sitting on a bench in Fantasyland, watching the scant clouds pass by when I heard a familiar voice.

"Hiya, pal. How's it going?"

I turned to see Mickey and Belle.

"Good morning, you two. It's going well enough. How about with you?"  
"Steven, there's something I wanted to address with you."  
Even coming from Mickey Mouse, that didn't sound good. I feared I'd transgressed some unwritten law. Or maybe he was just going to tell me it was time for me to go home.

"What's that, Mickey?"

"Well, when you first arrived I figured you might be gone in a day or two. But I don't think so anymore. I think you're going to be with us for a while. Of course you're welcome to stay as long as you like. I think I've told you that before."

"Yes. Thank you."  
"But a hotel room is no place to stay if you're really going to be here longer than a couple of weeks."

"Oh."  
"That's where I come in", said Belle.

"How do you feel about Epcot?" Mickey asked.

"You know...I haven't been over there yet. I really should. I seem to remember loving that park."  
"Well, there's a home for you there. All yours for the taking. In World Showcase, that is."  
"Wow. That's...amazing, Mickey. Thank you."  
"It's our pleasure, pal."  
"Which land is it in?"  
"I'll help you choose", Belle said.

I smiled. "Thank you, Belle. Thank you very much."  
"It's no problem at all. How about if we meet by Spaceship Earth tomorrow morning? Let's say...nine?"  
"Nine. Sure. That would be great. The monorail is running, right?"

Mickey laughed. "It always runs, pal. Just like the buses. They run exactly when you need them."

"Even without drivers?"  
Belle smiled. "It's magic, Steven."

Later that afternoon, once I'd gotten used to the idea of a new home and taken a few rides on Big Thunder, Peter Pan and Space Mountain, I found myself sitting on the dock across from Tom Sawyer Island. I had taken my shoes and socks off and was dangling my feet in the water, which felt good in the heat.

The news of my imminent move regardless, I was feeling both a sense of ennui and a feeling of guilt about having a sense of ennui.

"I do hope you're not planning on swimming for it, mate. It's more treacherous than it looks, especially dressed as you are."  
"Hello, Jack", I said.

" _Captain_ Jack" he responded, "if you please", as he sat to my left.

"Sorry."

"Water under the bridge, matey."

More footsteps approached from behind.

"Enjoying the view?" came a familiar voice as a hand patted me on the shoulder.

"Its not bad at all. How are you, Adam?"

He sat on my right. "I'm doing well. And yourself?"  
"I don't really know...I think maybe I'm afraid to say."  
"Never show fear", Captain Jack said.

"Never worry about showing fear amongst friends" was Adam's response to that. "You can tell us anything. Or you can tell me anything and rest assured that the Captain will probably have forgotten what you said by the end of the day."  
I smiled. Then I sighed. "I guess I'm just feeling kind of bored."  
The two of them exchanged a look.

"I know", I said. "First world problems, right? Or maybe I should say outerworld problems."

"What you need is a lady, mate. A comely lass to help you take your mind off your...mind."

"I think you may be on the wrong track, Captain", Adam said.

"What about the lovely redhead? She seems to have an eye for you."  
I held up my hand. "She's very nice, Captain. But I don't think that's what I'm missing."

"I believe what Steven really needs is some dedicated company."

"I've made friends. I certainly have people to talk to."  
"Yes, but the majority of those people are paired up or are parts of groups. And you are still alone. You need someone _you_ can truly pair up with, I don't necessarily mean in a romantic sense."

"What about that spectral woman...Connie Hathaway? I'm fairly sure that's her name."  
"Constance Hatchetway. And she's very nice, but she's also a ghost."  
"And because she's a ghost", Adam said, "she's part of the family of ghosts at the Mansion and not a suitable candidate." He put his hand on the Captain's shoulder. "We're not trying to fix him up for the prom."

"Guys, it's fine", I said. "In fact, let's change the subject altogether."  
At that point Captain Jack got bored and went off to find something to plunder, or perhaps just some rum. Adam and I chatted for a few more moments about food and board games we should play the next time I had lunch at his castle and how I would be picking a new place to live in the morning and finally he patted my shoulder, said he looked forward to seeing me at dinner and went on his way.

I sat there a while longer, watching the ducks swim around.

I didn't want to acknowledge it but they were right. Despite all the friends I had made and the fun I was having, I was lonely and I _did_ want some advice on the subject but I had to decide from whom. I didn't want to pester Mickey with my selfish boredom. I felt it might be best, with so much magic around me, to seek counsel from a more mystical source. Having no desire to impose myself upon Doctor Strange and being a little scared of Ursula, I found myself with one name on my mind.

"Ah, Steven, I see you have returned."  
"Madame Leota, it is very good to see you again."

"I sense that you have come seeking wisdom from beyond."  
"In fact, I have."  
"And the nature of your query?"  
"Well...I feel alone. I suppose I'm looking for a friend. As someone said to me, some 'dedicated company'."

"Ah, yes. I see your problem clearly. Now concentrate as I contact the spirits."  
I nodded. I also wondered how difficult it would be for her to contact the spirits when she lived in a house full of them but considered that she might mean _different_ spirits.

Madame Leota's eyes closed, she said to me "I see a screen, Steven. A screen of silver."

"I should go to the movies. The multiplex at Disney Springs?"  
She opened her eyes and fixed me with a withering look. "Don't be so literal, Steven."  
"Sorry."  
She closed her eyes once more and I resumed my silence.

"Cinema has always been your friend, Steven. Cinema is where you should search."

I said nothing.

She opened her eyes. "Think it over, Steven. I know you can figure it out."  
"Thank you, Madame Leota. I believe I've got it."

I left the Mansion and sat down by the hearse. In her chamber, I had lied to Madame Leota. Now, with daylight on my face, I got it. Or at least I thought I did. Hollywood Studios. She was telling me that was where I should look. Alright, once I'd settled in to my new residence in Epcot, I was going to spend some time with Muppets and Jedis and see what that would bring me.

Chapter Three

About eighty-thirty the following morning, I boarded the Monorail at the Contemporary. No other passengers and no safety spiels to listen to on the journey, it was the first time I'd had a monorail car entirely to myself and my thoughts.

The train made it's loop around and deposited me outside the entrance to Epcot. I descended the stairs and passed through the entrance. True to her word, Belle was waiting for me by the entrance to Spaceship Earth. After we hugged, she asked me if I'd eaten well that morning.

"A good breakfast. Like normal."

"I'm glad to hear it. Maybe once we've figured out where you're going to stay, we'll get some lunch here. What's your favorite Epcot restaurant?"

"Via Napoli, by a country mile."

She smiled. "Excellent choice. The pizza is like a transcendent experience."

"Oh yes. The deserts as well."  
"Yep. So, ready to look for a new home?"  
"Sure."  
"OK. Let's grab a couple of bikes."  
"Bikes?"

She laughed and pointed past me. I turned to see a bike rack with five bicycles parked in it.

"Magic Kingdom is more of a walking park", she said, "but in Epcot, everyone uses bikes."

"But who do they belong to?"  
"They don't belong to anyone, Steven. They belong to all of us. You just leave them parked wherever you stopped. When you need one, there will always be one close at hand. You _can_ walk around Epcot, if you like, but if you don't have to, why bother?"

"Right. I remember a joke about that. The gist was that Epcot stood for 'every person comes out tired'."

She laughed again. "Oh, trust me, what you're about to see is going to be much bigger than you remember."  
We each hopped on a bike and began to ride, past Spaceship Earth and through Future World.

"Do you think you have a preference?" Belle asked.

"I don't know. Maybe the UK or Canada? I always liked those."  
"Very pretty. My apartment is in France."  
"You have an apartment?" I was stunned.

"Don't read anything in to it. Sometimes I like to be alone with a book, so that's where I go. A little apartment with comfortable furniture, a few books and a window box full of flowers. Adam is quite happy about it, I assure you."  
"OK."

"Let's start in Mexico then, shall we? We can end the tour near your first guesses. Make sure you see all the options."

"Sounds good to me."

Future World looked as I remembered it, but World Showcase was immediately different. Bigger. These were not pavilions. These were more like neighborhoods. Past the temple that housed the Three Caballeros ride and the restaurant, there was a street with what appeared to be houses and shops along each side.

"Who else lives in Epcot, Belle?"

She stopped her bike and took a drink from her water bottle.

"Well, all the characters from Coco live right here. In Norway you'll find the entrance to Arendelle. I'm sure you know who lives there. Mulan is in China. Let me think...oh, of course. The gateway to Agrabah is in Morocco. I know there's others but they're slipping my mind for the moment."  
"Don't worry about it. I just want to make sure I don't choose a house that someone else already lives in."  
"You won't. When you find the right one, you'll know. Trust me."  
Mexico and Norway weren't for me so we rode on. I marveled at the scope of China, Germany and Italy but didn't feel I belonged there either. The American Experience looked exactly as I thought it should. We stopped there for a bathroom break and more water.

"Does the show run?" I asked as we headed back to our bikes.

"Sure does."

"But Ben Franklin isn't going to come alive and ask me how my day is?"

"Mickey did explain to you about the Hall of Presidents, right?"

"Yeah, I just thought...that was a silly question, wasn't it?"

She smiled and gave my arm a friendly pat.

Japan and Morocco were nice and when we got to France, I felt like maybe that could be the place for me but I also thought maybe it wouldn't be polite to move in, practically next door to my guide.

Belle waved to something or someone I couldn't see.

"What are you looking at?" I asked her.

She pointed to a small window, above the cafe. "See?"

In the window, waving back to us, were Remy and Emile. I broke out into huge grin and gave them an enthusiastic wave.

As soon as we entered the UK pavilion, I knew. _This is it. This is home_. I stopped my bike and smiled at one particular building.

"The Rose and Crown", Belle said.

"I love eating there. I'd forgotten that. Now that memory is back."

"It's a cozy place. Great for a hot drink on a cold night."

"Does it get cold here?"

"Of course it does. We have seasons. We even have snow at Christmas."

"You're kidding."

"I'm not. It will start snowing usually a week or so before Christmas and then stop right about New Year's."

"Wow."

"Not how it is in the outerworld, right?"

"No. Not in Florida, anyway. The humidity is intense. And it definitely _never_ snows."

"I don't think I'd like that. I like snow."  
I looked at my surroundings. "Are any of these available?"  
"Yes."  
"Which ones?"  
She smiled and folded her arms. "Pick one. You won't pick one that's occupied. I promise."  
I dismounted and set the bike on it's kickstand. Then I walked past the Rose and Crown. Across the street to my right what appeared to be a pair of townhouses. On my left were two unconnected homes, each two stories tall. They were similar but not identical.

I looked at the first, then walked on to the second one. I stepped up the path to the front door and was about to try the knob when I paused. I looked back to Belle but she wasn't giving anything away. I turned the knob and stepped inside.

I was standing in a living room. A large television on one wall. A comfy looking sofa against the other. A coffee table before it and, on the table, the books from my suite.

"Bingo", said Belle, from behind me. "I knew you'd make the right choice."

"This is it, right?"  
She smiled. "Your phone is on the table."

I looked. There was something on the table, but I had never seen it before. I picked it up. It was a mobile phone, but it had a tactile keyboard beneath the screen, making it look more like a blackberry than a smartphone. I pressed the on button. The screen lit up, but that was it.

"How do I use this?"

Belle stepped closer. She pointed to a button at the bottom, with a picture of an old-fashioned phone receiver on it. "You press that button, then say the name of the person you want to call. Their phone will ring."

"OK. And to text?"

"Type their name. It will come up and then you can send the message."

"Thank you."  
"My pleasure."

"I don't even need to check out the other rooms, do I?"

"There will be plenty of time for that. Besides, the house will give you what you need. That's what they're here for."

"Magic, right?"

She smiled and nodded. "Magic."

"I'm home."

"Does anything look strange about it?"

"No. Should it?"

She laughed. "Think about it. It doesn't look this big from the outside."  
She was right. It didn't. "Very Doctor Who", I said.

"Doctor who what?"

"Um...it's a TV show, from the outerworld. He travels in this thing called a TARDIS. It's bigger on the inside."  
"Yes, that's a new one on me. So, are you hungry yet?"

"A little."

"Want to ride to Italy for some pizza?"

I smiled. "I really do."

After lunch, I said goodbye to Belle and headed back to the house. I walked instead of riding the bike, which I left outside of Via Napoli for the next person to use. The walk was longer than it would have been in the outerworld, but still a pleasant excursion.

Once home, I decided it was time to have a proper inspection of my new abode.

To the right of the living room was the kitchen. Not too large, but bigger than some in apartments I had seen. The right size for one person to do what cooking they would want to. If they could remember how to cook in the first place.

To the left of the living room, a corridor with a small bathroom midway down it. Just before the corridor ended at it's final door, there was one more, on the right, with a large window set in it. I opened it and stepped outside.

The wooden porch had a table, four chairs and a view of the Epcot lagoon. Running alongside the porch was a narrow jetty that led straight out to the water. There was no boat at the end of the jetty but I didn't know how to pilot a boat and couldn't think of any reason I would want to go piloting around the lagoon anyway.

Back inside, I tried the door at the corridor's end. It led to a large room, that was, save for a set of barren bookshelves and a full-length mirror, empty. Sunlight rained in from high windows. I puzzled over the purpose of the room for a moment, then shrugged and left, closing the door behind me.

I climbed the stairs to the second floor. Another small bathroom was across from the top of the stairs. The room to the right was meant to be an office. There were more empty bookshelves and a desk, stocked with paper and a variety of pens. Also on the desk was an iPod and headphones. I picked up the pod and scrolled through it. Alice Cooper, Barenaked Ladies, The Beatles...all the music I loved. I kept scrolling. The pod's memory seemed inexhaustible. I wondered if the same was true of the battery of my new phone. It probably was.

On the left I found the master bedroom. The bed looked inviting enough that I was tempted to crawl in and take a nap, right then and there. Thinking better of it, I opened the closet door to find all the clothing that had been in my suite at the Contemporary. Opposite the bed was a door that led to a balcony overlooking the lagoon. On the balcony, a chaise lounge. Nice.

The master bathroom had the nicest bathtub I'd ever seen. It was long and deep and looked like it could comfortably sit two people. I sensed a lot of long baths in my future.

I went back downstairs and was about to try out my new sofa when there was a knock at the door.

Opening it, I was greeted by the sight of a woman I had not seen before. She was wearing sneakers, denim capris and a grey blouse. She held a bottle of wine in her right hand and two glasses in her left Her eyes were bright, her smile wide and her close-cropped hair was black on one side and white on the other.

"Hello, new neighbor", she said.

"Hi."

"I had been meaning to swing by Magic Kingdom and introduce myself but couldn't quite get around to it so it was quite a pleasant surprise to find out you'd moved in next door."  
"Can I take those from you?" I asked, reaching for either the bottle or the glasses.

"Please", she said handing me the bottle. Then she shook my hand. "And please call me Cru."

We sat on the back porch, Cru sipping wine and me enjoying a glass of lemonade.

Cru laughed. "If I'd known you didn't drink, I wouldn't have brought the wine."  
"Don't worry about it. Enjoy yourself. I'm certainly not put out."  
She took another sip, then set her glass down.

"So, you know not to be afraid of villains then?"

"I've met a couple. They've been nice."  
"Good. I assure you that I am nothing, absolutely nothing, like that horrid woman in that film."  
"Have you seen the film? How does that work, exactly?"

She shook her head. "Not seen it, no. Don't need to. I..sort of lived it."

I thought about that for a second, then nodded. "It would be better if it was just a film, wouldn't it?"

Cru put her hand on mine. "Steven, I have a theory that I believe explains quite well the difference between the films you've seen and the reality we find ourselves in. Would you like to hear it?"  
"Very much so."

She had another sip of wine, then set down her glass and leaned back in her chair.

She gave me an analytical look, then a smile and asked "Steven, do you remember your dreams?"  
"In general or specific ones?"

"Just in general."

"I...think so. I don't think I'm the kind of person who would tell you that he doesn't dream. I believe I do."

"Alright. Picture this. You have a dream in which you are doing something terrible. You're...beating someone up. They're begging for mercy but you keep hitting them. Then you wake up. You're awake and free from the nightmare. But it's not so easy to shake off. It sticks with you throughout the day because it's so awful to see yourself that way. Understand?"

"Yes. I think so."  
"Well...when I found myself here. Well, actually it was Disneyland. But either way, when I found myself in this world, the events of what, for you, was a film called 101 Dalmatians, was for me a nightmare. I was a foul woman. An evil wretch who abused everyone she knew, smoked like a chimney and planned to skin dogs!"

She tilted her head ever so slightly. "Look at me, Steven. Does that seem like who I am?"

I smiled. "Not at all. Admittedly, I've only known you an hour or so but I find you very likeable."

She smiled back. "Thank you. Sincerely, thank you."

Then she took another sip of wine and continued. "I am nothing like _her_. I can't stand cigarettes. I try to be nice and friendly to everyone. And as for animals? I'm a vegan, for god's sake! I would _never_ hurt an animal."

"I'm guessing Pongo and Perdita and the rest know that."  
Cru nodded. "They do. They still live in Disneyland, with the puppies. The ones that exist, that is. Whenever I visit, I always bring lots of biscuits. I love dogs."

"So do I."  
"It's also why I want to be called Cru and not my full name. And it's why I don't ever want to hear that bloody song again."

"Wow. Right. I can't imagine how awful it must be for there to be a song about how terrible you are. _Were_ , sorry."

She smiled. "Thanks. Gaston tried to rewrite the lyrics once. _If she doesn't charm you, no other thing will_. Gaston is _not_ a songwriter."

"So not all the puppies are with Pongo and Perdita?"

She shook her head. "No. Just the ones you'd remember."

"Where are the others?"

"Well...they didn't...come through? I'm not sure how to explain it. I'm sorry. I've never really talked about this with someone who isn't one of us. I mean no offense by that."

"I didn't take any."  
"I suppose it's like this. Not every character from every film or every ride is here. I imagine it's got something to do with who's...memorable."

I sipped my lemonade and thought about that.

"That ties back into my dream theory", Cru continued. "It's not just villains and their nightmares. Most of us are at least a little different from what you might expect. Take Snow and Cindy, for instance. Have you met them?"

"We've been introduced. That's about it."

"So you haven't met their husbands?"

"No."

A slight smirk appeared at the corner of her mouth. "Neither have they."  
"Alright..."  
"Disney princes didn't get interesting until Philip. He's the first one you could say displayed any real personality. So he's fine and living a happy life in Disneyland with Aurora. Snow and Cindy are single."

"Are they jealous of her?"

"I don't think so. In all honesty, and I'm telling you this in confidence, Snow finds her prince rather creepy. She thinks of him as a man who came upon a corpse being mourned by seven small men and thought _that's the girl for me!_ Like I said, creepy."

"It is a bit odd, to say the least. But Cindy had a happier story."

" _Had_ , yes. But look at it this way. She dreamt herself having the quintessential fairy tale ending only to wake up to two very contrite step-sisters, a fairy godmother whom she sees intermittently, a couple of sweet mice and no prince. In your world she may be the poster girl for 'happily ever after', but not here. Here she's a very nice woman but she is a bit on the withdrawn side."

"I feel sorry for her."  
"As do I. She deserves better. One thing, though. Don't ever tell her you feel sorry for her."

"I wouldn't."

"Good man."  
"Villains certainly aren't withdrawn, are they?" I asked.

"Not most of them, no. I probably seem like a shut-in to some, just because I'd rather curl up at home with a book then socialize for no real reason. Don't get me wrong, you will see me at the Christmas and Halloween parties but I'm not going out just for the sake of it. There are other villains who get around less than me, but not many."  
"Like who?"  
"Maleficent keeps to herself, for the most part. But Hades would be the worst. You'll probably never see him."

"Why do you think that is?"

She crossed her ankles and leaned back again. "We don't really _know_ the outerworld, Steven. But we do have some connections to it. We feel connected to those who...birthed us. Animators, actors, you understand?"

I nodded.

"Sometimes we get a feeling for what those people are going through or how they feel...I can't really speak to it as I know that everyone who had a hand in my existence is gone. Hades is aware of who gave him his voice. And he'd rather not be."  
I thought about that. My memory of Disney films seemed to have no gaps. I could hear Hades voice in my head, clear as day.

"Oh. Wow. Yeah. He did turn out to be a piece of...work, didn't he?"

Cru smiled. A smile tinged with a little sadness. She nodded.

My phone buzzed. I pulled it from my pocket.

"My first text message", I said.

"Who is it from?"  
"Belle. She wants to know if I'm going to Be Our Guest tonight."

Cru nodded. "Are you?"  
I thought about it for a second. "No, I don't think I will." I started to type my response. "I'm telling her I want to spend the evening enjoying my new house."

"Sounds like a good idea."

"That reminds me. There's a room at the end of the downstairs corridor. There's nothing in it. Any idea what that's for?"

She smiled. "It's a forget-me-not room, Steven."

"Oh. Like at the hotel. OK, I get it."

She nodded. "And, of course, if you do get hungry later..."  
"Yes?"  
"We could go for a bite at the Rose & Crown."

I smiled. "I'd like that."

Chapter Four

The next morning, once I was up and fed and clean, I stepped outside my new home. The bike I had ridden the day before was still propped against the front of the house so I hopped on and pedaled my way through the international gateway and on my way to Hollywood Studios.

I had just gotten to the boardwalk when I heard someone call out.

"Hello there!"

I stopped the bike and looked around. Exiting an ice cream shop was a girl with a cone in her hand. She waved to me and I waved back. Walking towards me, she said, "So you're the outworlder. I'm glad I'm finally getting to meet you."

She smiled brightly.

"Wow", I said. "I don't want to be rude but you are nothing-"

"Nothing like you expected?" She laughed and nodded. "That was one of the reasons I wanted to meet you. I was going to give it another week or so and then come looking for you in Magic Kingdom."  
"You might not have found me. I moved into Epcot yesterday."

"Cool. Where are you headed?"

"Hollywood. I figured it's more than about time I checked it out."

"Well, that's home for me. Seems our timing is perfect. Mind if I tag along? That is, if it's not too much inconvenience for you to walk the bike."  
"I could just leave it here."  
"Nah, don't do that. Take it with you so the return home will be quicker."

"Good point."  
She was a little shorter than me, thin and pretty. She wore a bright green t-shirt, jeans and flip-flops. Everything else about her, even her hair was blue. Deep blue.

"So should I call you-"

"Nessa, please. Or Ness, if you like. Either one is good with me. Just not...you know."

"I'm Steven."

We shook hands. "Good to meet you, Steven."  
"Likewise, Nessa. And don't worry about the name issue. Cru is my next-door neighbor. I get it."

"Oh, Cru? She's sweet."

We walked on towards Hollywood. As she tossed the paper from her ice cream cone in the trash, Nessa turned to me and asked, "So, where in the outerworld are you from, Steven?"  
"I don't know. I'm sure that sounds like a very stupid answer but a lot of my memory...just isn't there."

"Don't take it too hard. You'll find some of us kind of feel like that too. We remember what happened in the films we came from or whatever but that's about it. In my case, being an emotion rather than a, you know, _person_ , I don't even have a childhood to think back on."

"Oh, I'm sorry. That's..." I almost said sad but trailed off instead.

"Ah, don't be. It's OK. I guess it would be different if I'd lost something but I never had it in the first place."

"Fair enough. And your...siblings?"

She smiled. "Do they feel the same?"

"Well, I guess I'm asking if they're like you?"

She nodded. "Yes. We all look very human. We've kept our colors but that's about it."

"It's not just your appearance."  
She giggled. "You've noticed that I'm not a total downer either, I see."  
I laughed. "Something like that."

"No. I don't mope or cry, except when it's actually called for. I'm not pessimistic either. I suppose you could say that my philosophy is to treasure whatever you have because it might not be there tomorrow. Things can always turn."  
"I agree."  
"Now my sister Joy, on the other hand, feels that no matter how grim the situation looks, a positive outcome is always possible."

"I don't feel like I've ever been that optimistic."

Nessa shrugged. "It suits her. Anger is pretty much as you'd guess, only maybe a little more subdued. He doesn't blow up often but he always suspects trouble is right around the corner. Fear is cautious to almost the point of neurosis and Diz just doesn't like to try new things."

"Like meeting an outworlder?"  
"She won't turn her nose up if I introduce you but she wouldn't have gone looking for you either."

As soon as we entered the park, I felt I'd made the right decision. Perhaps this was where I should have been all along. As we walked ahead to the Chinese Theater building that had formerly housed the Great Movie Ride, we passed Han Solo. He nodded to Nessa and shot her a smile. Then he looked at me.

"How you doing, kid?"

I tried to say something clever and cool as a response but just sort of stammered and smiled at him. He laughed and went on his way.

"Han Solo just called me 'kid'."

Nessa patted my shoulder and giggled. "Han's a good guy. Next time you see him you won't be so starstruck, I promise."

We rode Midway Mania three times and she won twice. Woody, Jessie and the gang were very hospitable to us and told us to come back anytime. After that, we headed over to the Muppet theater, where, instead of watching the movie, we just hung out with the Muppets.

"I hear that you do magic tricks", Fozzie said.

"That's true. A few, anyway."  
"I tried that one time", he said. Then he took off his hat and shook his head. "It didn't work out."

"If I recall correctly, you were electrocuted?"

He nodded. "Not my finest hour."

"Everybody messes up sometimes, Fozzie."

"The key is to keep trying", Nessa added.

"Yeah! Keep trying!" he said with a big smile. "That's the key!"

"What are you encouraging him for?" Statler asked.

"Haven't we suffered enough?", added Waldorf.

After a while, it was just Kermit, Nessa and I sitting in the theater. I asked him about guest stars and people they had worked with ("Alice Cooper was a nice guy. Peter Sellers was a bit strange") and telling him some of my favorite Muppet memories. The Muppets I _could_ remember. My last name or address? Nope _._

Then something occurred to me that I had to say, even if it might be depressing.

"Kermit, I was in high school when Jim Henson died. It was such a shock. So heartbreaking. Of course, I know it was worse for you and the gang, but I wanted to tell you how sorry I am that he's gone."  
Nessa patted Kermit's hand and he placed his other on mine.

"Thank you, Steven. That's kind of you. We all still think of him every day. But, you know, life goes on and he never would have wanted us to stop."

We sat in silence for a while after that. What more can you say after you've told someone that you're sorry their creator died?

We had a snack and then hit Star Tours.

"Oh, R2, we have guests!" C-3PO said as we entered the show-building.

R2-D2 beeped appreciatively as Nessa patted him on the head.

"So good to see you again, Mistress Nessa", 3PO said as he gave a half bow.

R2 turned his attention to me and made a slightly worried sound.

"I assure you he is not with the Empire. Or the First Order, you paranoid gob of grease."

"Rebellion all the way", I said with a smile. "Though I do seem to recall owning a Kylo Ren t-shirt."

"My counterpart is just being dramatic, I assure you. We are all friends here. Or, at the very least, not enemies."  
Of course Nessa and I were the only ones on the ride. She was singled out as the rebel spy and when the hologram of Leia appeared before us she smiled and said "I know. Weird, huh?"

After that, Nessa took me to meet her siblings. Past Midway Mania, down a street that I couldn't say for certain existed in the outerworld park, was a pale blue building. Inside, it was like a small apartment complex, with a common room that looked not unlike the control center from the film. Joy and Fear were there when we entered. Joy gave me an enthusiastic hug and I received a reserved handshake from Fear. Then Joy called for Anger and Diz to come down and join us.

We sat around and talked for a while, them asking me questions about how I was getting along in Disneyworld as well as things they wanted to know about the outerworld. I answered what I could remember. The mood was pretty happy. I kept waiting for an outburst from Anger or perhaps a panic attack from Fear but none came. Joy asked me to show them a magic trick so I ran through the same one I had shown Rapunzel, Flynn and Merida. As Diz and Fear wanted to watch, but not get involved, I asked Joy to shuffle and had Nessa choose the card. The look on her face when she read the note identifying her choice was a look of delight that, while I would not have associated with her before that day, was positively charming.

After another half hour or so the family said they had things they needed to get on with and I thanked them for their hospitality. Nessa walked me to the door.

"I'm glad we met", she said. "It's fun hanging with you."  
"I had fun, too. We should do this again."  
She smiled. "Absolutely."

We hugged and then I stepped out into the afternoon light.

Coming to Hollywood Studios had been what I needed.

Until it wasn't.

I rode Rock 'n Roller-Coaster twice and was relieved that none of the members of Aerosmith tried to converse with me. After that I watched the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror pre-show and ducked out the chicken exit. Then I wandered through as many gift shops as I could stand and ended up throughly bored.

The afternoon was fading. Yes, Hollywood had been a change of pace and meeting Nessa and her siblings had been fun but ultimately it wasn't all that different from Magic Kingdom or Epcot. I thought I might try Animal Kingdom next. It seemed unlikely the hippos would ask me about the outerworld.

I picked up a sandwich and a drink from the Sci-Fi Drive-In Diner but, as I didn't want to eat in an empty restaurant, I decided I would take them back to Epcot for my dinner.

I'd made it to Sunset Boulevard when I decided that it might be interesting to take a look at the Fantasmic amphitheater. Maybe it would even be a cool place to eat before the ride home.

I walked up the incline and as I got closer I could hear a sound. A sound I could not identify.

As I reached the top and the sight of the deserted seats, I found the source of the sound. It was wings. Dragon wings.

A beautiful black and purple dragon was flying over the Fantasmic set and lagoon. Up into the sky and then diving back down again, turning at the last minute and soaring around in circles. It was a stunning sight.

Now, this wasn't the first dragon I'd seen. I'd already encountered Elliot flying over Magic Kingdom. But this was not Elliot.

This was Maleficent.

I sat my food down on a bench and watched her fly.

After another minute or so, she noticed me. There was no mistaking it. She hovered above the water, her eyes locked on mine. Then she vanished in a burst of green flame.

I felt that someone was watching me from behind. I stood and turned and there she was.

Maleficent. Tall and clad in black and purple. Her staff in her hand and Diablo, her raven, perched on the tip of it.

Her eyes narrowed at me.

"So you're the outworlder."

For the first time since my arrival, I felt intimidated. She was not looking at me like a new friend or even a new and unusual thing to be considered. She was looking at me not unlike, well, Maleficent.

I stood up and did some awkward little dance with my arms that involved trying to decide if I should try to shake hands with her or maybe kiss her hand or kneel or whatever and ended up doing a small bow.

"Oh, don't do that. You're not pledging fealty to me and you don't look the sort to be asking me to place a curse on anyone."

"I'm sorry. I've just been meeting so many legends that I'm not sure what's proper etiquette for each one."

"What is your name?"

"Steven."

"Steven", she repeated as if she was trying to decide if my name had any special value. Then she raised one eyebrow. "And I am a legend, am I?"

"I'd say so."

"And whom else have you met, exactly?"  
It occurred to me that I wasn't feeling as nervous as I would expect to, had anyone told me this meeting was going to take place. Certainly if they'd told me _before_ I had come to Disneyworld.

"Well, I suppose I've met most everybody in Magic Kingdom. A few people in Epcot. Today was my first day in the Studios."

She turned and gazed off in the direction of the stage.

"I suppose you came here to hobnob with those... _space people_." The disdain in her voice was unmistakable.

"Star Wars? No, not really. I just kind of came so I could see who and what was here. Though I have to say it did give me a rush seeing Han Solo this morning...but I'm guessing you're not fond of them."  
She turned back to face me. "Why in the world would I be? Laser swords and guns. Guns, of all things! Do you think guns belong in Disneyworld?"

"I suppose I hadn't really thought about it. It doesn't seem like they're shooting at each other."

"How do you think Bambi would feel about it?"

She had me there. "Yes, I suppose you have a point. I haven't met him yet so I guess I didn't think..." I looked at her. She appeared almost as if she was trying not to laugh. "Are you...messing with me?"

She smiled. Not as warm as Belle or Nessa, but a smile nonetheless. "Yes, I am messing with you."

I nodded.

"Though I do find their weapons distasteful. They're not any better than those ridiculous superheroes and _they_ are no better than when the Great Movie Ride was running."

"Wow. Really? I always liked that ride."

She moved closer to me. Now, barely two feet away, I could see she was maybe a half a foot taller than I was.

"I am guessing, Steven, that you only had that experience as a guest. Would you like to know what your precious Great Movie Ride was like in our world?"

"Actually, yes. Yes, I would."  
She smiled again, then turned and began to pace as she told me. "The gangsters and cowboys would shoot at each other all night, which came to nothing as of course neither could sustain an injury. Not that that slowed them down. The alien and the mummies would slink around, attacking anything they could get their hands on while Rick and Ilsa stole away to...get up to business. Small wonder Mary and Bert spent so little time in there."

Her rant concluded, she turned to face me and folded her arms. Her staff stayed standing, as if she still held it. Diablo remained perched atop, looking back and forth from me to his mistress.

"But...wouldn't the Great Movie Ride have been like the Hall of Presidents? I mean, aside from Mary and Bert, those weren't Disney characters."

Once again the ghost of a smile appeared on her face.

"That was another joke, wasn't it?"

She leaned in close and her smile broke out wide. "Just because I'm a villain doesn't mean I don't have a sense of humor."

I nodded. "OK then."  
She sat down and crossed her legs. "Have you met any others?"  
"Villains? Yes. Ursula and Gaston, briefly. And I moved in next door to Cru."  
That got her attention. "Cru...Yes, I like Cru. Though we don't see each other often."

"You were always my favorite, though." As soon as I'd said it, I wasn't sure if I should have.

She looked at me for a moment but said nothing. Then, "Elaborate, if you please."  
"Well...I always wondered that, if the King and Queen had invited you, would any of the rest of it have taken place?"

She gave a slight nod. "You're not the first to propose that theory."  
"And you were...elegant."

She looked surprised. "Elegant?"

"Yes. I think that's the word I want."

"You don't think any other villains are elgant?"  
I thought about it. "Not really. Snow White's stepmother was vain. Lady Tremaine was just mean. Madame Medusa was grotesque. Come to think of it, so was Cru. When she was Cruella De Vil, that is. Gaston and Scar were egomaniacs-"  
"Scar was also nowhere near the brilliant strategist he thought he was."

"Hades and Jafar were full of themselves as well. You are the only one I can think of who...had other dimensions."  
"What about Clayton or the Horned King?"  
"I'd forgotten all about them."

She laughed. "Most do. Tell me, Steven, what other dimensions do you think I have?"

"I don't know. I'm probably going to regret saying it like that. Maybe it has to do with that I didn't see Sleeping Beauty until I was an adult and passed the age of being scared. Impressed, yes, but not scared."

She was looking straight in my eyes. I wished I could tell what she was thinking.

"You do understand that, in the films you've seen, we were more or less playing roles?"  
I nodded. "Cru explained her dream theory to me. Seems to apply to everyone to some extent. Not just villains. Maybe not Captain Jack. I think he may actually be drunk."  
"And probably addle-brained too. From what I hear, the man is a fool."  
"So you and Aurora get along well, then?"

She looked back to the water. "When we see each other. It's been a long time. She and Philip and the fairies live in Disneyland."

"Right. It's her castle."  
"Indeed it is. I came to Disneyworld when it began. When Fantasmic opened, I decided to make it my home."

I looked around at the bleachers. "You live here?"

She looked at me as if I was an idiot. "I live in my castle, Steven."  
"Where's that?"  
She gestured to the stage. "Behind that facade. You can't see it from here."  
"Oh."  
"We all need a place to call our own."

"I'd love to see your castle some time." I instantly felt presumptuous for saying it. "I'm sorry. That is, if you wanted me to."

She gave a slight nod. "Perhaps another time. Not today."

I took that as my cue and picked up my food.

"Well, it truly has been a pleasure meeting you, Maleficent. But I should go."  
She seemed a little taken aback. Or it might have been my imagination.

"But you will miss the sunset."

"Right", I said, unsure of what I was commenting on.

"Sunsets shouldn't be ignored. Sunset and sunrises should be appreciated when possible."

"OK", I said and sat my food down. "Good point. I'll stay."

I sat down, not next to or even near to her, but in the same row.

Slowly the sun set and we said nothing. We just watched the sky change from blue to orange and red to black. When night had fallen, Maleficent stood.

"Well, Steven, you should be on your way. Perhaps we will see each other again."

"I would like that."

She raised her staff and, like her dragon form, vanished in green flame.

I sat there a minute, trying to take it all in. The most surreal encounter of my new residency.

Then I got up and made my way out of the park, nibbling on my sandwich along the way.

Chapter Five

The next morning I ate breakfast at home. Pancakes and orange juice, followed by a lie-in on my sofa and an attempt to figure out what to do with my day. Magic Kingdom was the safe choice but I felt like that could be set aside for now. I hadn't yet explored most of Epcot so that could be a good idea. I also thought about calling Nessa and seeing if she was up to anything or wanted to hang out.

But what I really wanted to do was go back to Hollywood and see if I could run into Maleficent again. Our encounter had been surreal and had left me with an even stranger and more complicated feeling afterwards. Not unlike the way I suppose I would feel after a job interview or a blind date. _I liked that and think I want to do it again but I'm not completely sure how I feel and I have no idea how the other person feels about me but I think they enjoyed my company_. The kind of feeling I could tie myself up in knots with.

Of course one perfectly viable option was just to stay home and read, listen to my iPod or watch a movie. See what I could conjure up in my forget-me-not room. As there seemed to be no end to how long I was going to be in Disneyworld, what harm could there be in taking the day off and laying around like a lazy schmuck?

In the end, I decided to go exploring Epcot.

Here is the secret to Epcot: outside of World Showcase, there are hardly any characters. In fact, Future World was pretty much a ghost town. I rode Spaceship Earth, Test Track and Mission: Space without seeing so much as a single person. The building that had once been Universe of Energy had no entrance. Seeing this, I remembered that it was being converted to some sort of Guardians of the Galaxy ride. I walked up to the wall and put my ear to it. I could hear voices inside. I couldn't make out exact words but the tone suggested a heated argument. Afraid of being detected, I hurried on about my way.

After a light lunch at The Land and a ride on Soarin', I felt like returning to World Showcase but, as I approached Journey Into Imagination, I found my path blocked by a small, pink and purple dragon.

"Hey buddy! Where are you headed?"  
"Hello, Figment. Just on my way home."  
"Why'd do you want to go there?"  
"Well, I suppose because I live there. I want to sit down and maybe read a bit. Do some daydreaming. You know all about that."  
He leapt up into the air and flapped his wings. "Daydreaming! That's the best kind of dreaming there is! You don't even have to go to sleep to do it!"

I laughed. Figment hovered around me, seemingly checking me out.

"You're the new guy, right? What's your name?"  
"Steven."  
"Steven, Steven, Steven...Nope. Doesn't ring a bell."  
"Maybe if it was Quasimodo?"  
"Quasimodo?" he asked. Then he got a look of inspiration in his eye and threw his head back and laughed. "Quasimodo! A name that rings a bell! That's great!"  
"I'm glad you liked it."  
"Going to take a ride through imagination before you go?"  
When I first came to Epcot as a child, Dreamfinder and Figment were my favorite parts of the experience. I couldn't bear to disappoint the little guy.

"OK, let's do this."

He sat beside me for the whole ride, commenting on how the animatronic figures of himself weren't the greatest likenesses and pointing out his favorite parts of the ride.

"Can I ask you something, Figment?"

"Of course you can!"  
"Do you ever miss Dreamfinder?"  
He lowered his head a tiny bit. "Yes."

"I sometimes think not that many people remember him."  
He looked up at me and smiled. "But we do, don't we?"

"Yes, absolutely."  
"Another thing we have in common!" He held his sides and chuckled.

I ate dinner in France with Remy and Emile. Midway through our entrees, Tink joined us. It felt surreal being the largest person at the table but the mood was joyful and the food was delicious and a good time was had by all.

On the way back to my house I found myself wondering if my dinner companions were actually speaking English or was I just able to understand them as if they had been? Were there some sort of Disneyworld babel fish or translator microbes at work?

That thought stopped me in my tracks. I could clearly recall details from novels and TV shows but not my last name or birthdate.

Whatever discomfort that thought may have arose in me was cut short by the sound of wings. I looked up into the night sky and saw the silhouette of a dragon flying above me. It was Elliot. I was sure of it. Pretty sure, anyway.

Once back inside, teeth brushed and pajamas on, I climbed into bed and turned out the light. The last thing I remember thinking before I closed my eyes was that I had seen a bird at my window. Or maybe not. Maybe I was just tired.

Chapter Six

I was seated outside Toy Story Mania when I felt the tap on my shoulder.

I had not called Nessa, or anyone else, and had simply biked over, after breakfast and a shower and a fair amount of time pacing in my bedroom, trying to decide wether or not to go at all.

I looked up to find Leia, gazing upon me with a smile that said she knew much more than I did, which was something I never would have doubted in the first place.

"I was wondering when we'd meet for real", she said.

I jumped to my feet and shook her hand.

"General Organa. It's a pleasure."

"It's Leia and nothing else, alright? Han said he saw you here the other day and I hear the digital version of me addressed you on the ride but you're not really one for exploring, are you?"

"What should I be exploring?"

"Just knock on a door. You're in Epcot now, right? Then you should know the insides of buildings round here don't always match the outside. Those doors that look locked in Star Tours? That's how you'll find us."

"Yes, I suppose that makes sense."

She narrowed her eyes. "You should know this already. Didn't you get an invitation to visit a certain someone's castle?"

"Cindy's castle?" I asked, genuinely in the dark.

Leia smiled. "I may have said too much. Or listened to too much hearsay. Forget I said anything."

I nodded. "Consider it forgotten."

"And if looks could kill..."  
"I'm sorry. You've lost me."  
She smiled again. "Come see us sometime, OK?" Then she nodded towards the area behind me. "In the meantime, I think someone else wants a word."

I turned as Leia walked away.

There she stood. Maleficent. She was dressed differently though. A light purple blouse, black jeans and flats. Her horns were unwrapped, revealing them to be bone grey and her black hair fell down to her shoulders. She had her hand on her hip.

"I half expected to see you here yesterday", she said.

I gave a sheepish shrug. "I thought about you when the sun set. I wondered if you were watching it, that is."  
She smiled and looked off to her right. "Making friends with the space cadets, I see."  
"I'm making lots of friends. I like it. I don't think I was ever this good at it before but this is a friendly place. People in my world...not so much."

She looked back to me. "And I suspect that where you come from, the villains are actually villainous."

"And not a one of them is elegant."

It looked to me like she tried to stifle a laugh and the result was a happy grin.

"And what are your plans today, Steven?"  
"I have none to speak of. Besides lunch, that is. That was going to be my next move. Would you like to join me? If you eat, that is." I regretted that last part as soon as it left my mouth.

She looked at me as if I was an idiot and I didn't think it was unjustified. " _If_ I eat? Yes, I eat. What sort of question is that?"

"A stupid one. Sorry. How about this one instead. Which restaurant is your favorite?"

"I eat in my castle."  
"Right. That makes sense. Well, would you like to join me for lunch at Prime Time?"

She considered it for a second, then nodded. "Lunch at Prime Time, it is."

In the outerworld, Prime Time was always my favorite Hollywood Studios restaurant. The décor was that of the kitchen from a 50's sitcom and the servers treated you like you were visiting relatives. You were expected to set the table and keep your elbows off of it. The desert menu was on a ViewMaster. I loved it.

Of course this time there were no servers and we were the only diners but the décor was bright and inviting and the television by our table played clips and commercials from old television shows.

We split an appetizer of fried garlic cheese, which she found to be both ridiculous and tasty.

"What will your entree be?" she asked.

"I'm going to have the vegetable lasagna."

"Interesting. Are you vegetarian?"  
"Yes."

"And how did you come to be one?"

"When I was a child, I was hit by a truck carrying a load of radioactive tofu."

She giggled and the sight of Maleficent giggling at something I'd said was something I knew I never wanted to forget.  
"Was that a Marvel joke?"  
"If you like, sure. Why not?"  
"Alright. How did you really become one?"  
"Well, I guess I just didn't want anyone to die for my benefit. Even a cow or a pig. I don't like suffering and if I can do something to cause there to be less of it, then I will."

She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand. She smiled.

"I shall have the lasagna as well."  
I retrieved our meals and we tucked in. It was every bit as good as I wanted it to be. She seemed to enjoy hers as well.

"So, did you watch the sunset last night?" I asked.

"From my castle, yes."  
"Nice."  
"Where were you?"  
"Leaving my house. On my way to dinner."

"Do you know what's interesting about my castle, Steven?"  
"You have a fully stocked dungeon?"  
She laughed out loud at that. "No. What I was thinking of is that there is a large balcony from which I like to watch the sunset and, even though from the inside it is only on the second floor, it appears from the outside to be quite high up. About as high as the Tower of Terror."

I smiled and nodded. "That sounds very nice. My house is a little like that too. Not that tall or impressive but definitely bigger on the inside."

"Anyway, I had such a good view last night that it was almost as if I could see the entirety of the park."

"Did you see anything that sparked your interest?"  
"I did. That woman you were speaking with earlier. What is her name?"

"Leia."  
"Yes. I saw her and her, what is he? Husband? Boyfriend?"  
"Husband. Han Solo. They also have a son. It didn't turn out well."  
"Whatever their domestic situation is, I saw the two of them on the roof of their building. They had what appeared to be an old sofa up there and they were on it, drinking and laughing."  
"That sounds nice."  
"They also had popcorn. Well, it looked like popcorn from my vantage point. He was sitting and she was laying across the sofa, her legs across his lap. They looked...happy."

"Good. I like to hear that they are happy together."

"Is that because of the situation with their child?"

"It's because they were always a bit...tempestuous. It's nice to hear that they are happy."

She nodded. "I suppose so."  
"And the sunset was pretty. What of it, I saw."  
She looked off for a moment, like she was considering something. Then she picked up her ViewMaster.

"Are you going to have desert?" she asked.

"I think I could go for a peanut butter and jelly milkshake."

"That sounds disgusting and after that lemonade you just drank, which I could practically

 _smell_ the sugar in, it's a wonder you have any teeth at all."

I smiled. "I brush and floss at least twice a day."  
"Good for you. I'm leaning towards the cheesecake, myself."  
"That's probably good. I don't think I've ever had it."

"Would you like to watch the sunset with me tonight? At my castle?" She looked across the room as she asked.

"Sure. That would be great."  
Her eyes flicked to me, then away again. She gave a small nod. "Alright. Come round about five-thirty. The sun sets at six tonight. There will be popcorn and wine. If you want lemonade, that will be available but it will _not_ be the sugar slime you just downed."

"I'm looking forward to it. Thank you for inviting me. But how do I get to your castle?"  
"Right. That's a fair question. I'll tell you what. Meet me where we first met. I'll escort you."

I smiled. "Sounds great."

I biked back to my home and brushed my teeth with serious intent. Then, with a few hours to kill, I picked out the best clothes I had that weren't actually formal, which left me with dark blue jeans and a maroon t-shirt. That seemed appropriate enough for a sunset and popcorn. That settled, I stripped off and took a hot bath.

I still had three hours to kill.

I lay on the bed and listened to my iPod. I set an alarm in case I dozed off.

As it turned out, I was awake the entire time.

Chapter Seven

When I reached the amphitheater, she was waiting for me.

"Hello", I said as I approached her.

She turned and smiled, then patted the bench beside her. "Have a seat."

I sat as requested and she turned her attention back to the empty stage, across the water.

After a moment, she said "That lasagna was very good."

"I've always liked it. You know, I think the Brown Derby is the only restaurant in this park I haven't eaten in."  
She nodded. "Another time, perhaps." Then she turned to me. "Thank you for coming."

"Of course. Thank you for inviting me."  
She smiled and stood up. "Come on. I'll show you the way."  
She led me to the extreme left of the amphitheater, then through a door which led to a gate that opened as we approached. From there, we made our way along a path that must have gone around the back of the Fantasmic set. We walked in silence and eventually arrived at the entrance to her castle.

It was a magnificent sight. Reminiscent of the castle from the film, but smaller in scale. There was also no chasm to cross and the large door was open, ready for us.

"Welcome to my home", Maleficent said as we entered the front chamber.

"This is amazing."  
We climbed the stairs for what seemed like no more than a single flight. This led to a hall where I followed her out on to a large balcony that indeed was as high up as the roof of the Tower of Terror.

"Holy crap."  
Maleficent laughed.

"I'm sorry. That was rude."  
"No. Don't worry about it."  
I turned to face her. She was smiling. "Pretty good view point for sunsets, wouldn't you say?"

"I don't see how there could be a better one."

There was an ornate sofa on the balcony. It looked as if it was carved from mahogany and upholstered in burgundy velvet. Beside it was a table with a large bowl of popcorn, a bottle of wine, a bottle of lemonade and two appropriate glasses.

"Something puzzles me", I said.

"Only one thing?"  
"Well, the thing puzzling me right now is how you were able to see the roof of the Star Tours building from here."  
"Binoculars."  
That surprised me. "Really?"  
She laughed. "No. No, Steven. I saw them because I was flying. I like to fly."  
"Will you be flying tonight?"  
She shook her head. "Not tonight. I'm not dressed for it."  
"I don't understand."

"Well...I can only take my dragon form when I'm wearing my costume. The robe, the wrapping on my horns, even the heels."  
"I didn't know you wore heels."  
"You didn't notice the height difference between today and when we first met?"

"I guess I didn't. I'm sorry."  
"Don't apologize. It's not important."  
"Alright."

She sat on the sofa. "Come on, the sun will be going down soon."  
I sat beside her and we watched the sunset. It was even more beautiful than the other day, the sky a swirl of colors that looked literally like something from an animated film.

"I'll never take one for granted again", I said.

"It's best to take nothing for granted. In my experience, anyway."

"You're a smart woman."  
Once the sky was dark, she picked up the bowl and held it out.

"Thank you", I said and took a handful and popped them in my mouth. The flavor surprised me. "Cinnamon?"  
"I'm very fond of cinnamon."  
"I've never had cinnamon popcorn before. It's nice."

We said nothing for a minute or two and then she squeezed my shoulder. "The show is about to begin."  
"What show?"

Before she could answer, the sky was awash with streams of purple and emerald.

"Fireworks? I didn't know there'd be fireworks!"  
Maleficent laughed and poured me a glass of lemonade. Then she poured herself a glass of wine.

"I haven't seen any fireworks in Epcot or Magic Kingdom."  
"You will see them on Halloween and Christmas and New Year's", she said.

"But today isn't one of those...is it?"

She laughed and shook her head. "No."  
"So what is the occasion?"

She smiled. "The occasion is I wanted fireworks so here they are. Now, would you like to know the best part?"  
"Yes, please."  
She leaned in a little closer, as if to share a secret.

"We are the only ones who can see them."  
"Wait...what? How is that possible?"

"I _am_ a creature of magic, Steven. Surely you knew that. I can do some pretty impressive things when I want to."

I nodded. Then I leaned back and smiled as the lights danced in the sky. I sipped the lemonade, which was sweet but not sugary. Maleficent shifted around, laying her head on the armrest, her legs across my lap and resting her crossed ankles on the other armrest. She kicked her shoes to the floor. Like her fingernails, her toenails were painted blood red.

"I like the nail polish", I said.

"It's not polish", she replied. Then she put her hand on mine. "Just as this is not makeup. These are just my colors."

I nodded. "OK."  
We watched the fireworks for a few more minutes and then I heard her giggling.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"This."  
"This?"

"Yes, all of this."  
"The fireworks? The popcorn?"

"Yes, Steven, every bit of it. The fireworks and popcorn. The lemonade and wine. You and I, here, together. You complimenting the color of my nails. All of it."

I smiled. "That's funny?"  
"Yes, I think the Mistress of All Evil snacking on popcorn and conjuring fireworks to watch with a man from the outerworld is pretty funny."

I nodded. "Alright."

"And do you know what the funniest part is?"

"I have no idea."

"That I wanted it. After our lunch today, this is exactly how I wanted the evening to go."

I smiled again. "So did I. I mean, the fireworks are a lovely surprise but the rest of it is pretty much what I'd hoped for, only better."  
"It's nice, isn't it?"

"It's very nice."  
"A nice time with an evil fairy. Maybe not everyones' cup of tea but it seems to fit the two of us just fine."  
"I don't think you're evil, Maleficent."

"It's right there in my title. Maleficent, Mistress of All Evil."  
"That's just the character in the movie."

"I believe there are also books and video games and toys and-"

"Well, I don't think your'e evil at all. Maybe a little introverted, but certainly not evil."

She titled her head a little and fixed me with an inquisitive stare, sizing me up.

"I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry."

She shook her head, once. Then, after a moment said "No, it's alright." Then she looked away, towards the night. "Introverted", she said, like she was examining the word. She had another sip of wine and a small handful of popcorn.

The fireworks came to an end.

"I should go", I said.

She looked back to me. "Why do you think you should do that?"  
"Because I fear I've offended you. And overstayed my welcome."

"You have done neither of those things. Perhaps you threw me off a little, but not in a bad way. Stay. Please."

"You're sure?"

"Positive." She flashed a wicked smile. "Perhaps there will be a second round of fireworks. The second show is always better than the first. If you like that sort of thing, that is."  
I smiled. "That would be nice." Then I leaned back on the sofa again.

She shifted a little, uncrossing and recrossing her ankles. "You haven't overstayed your welcome at all. In fact..."

"Yes?"

"No, never mind."  
"What is it?"

"Nothing. Something stupid."  
"Oh, I doubt that very much. Go on, tell me."  
She crossed her arms and smiled. "No."  
"Alright then. Maybe I'll tickle it out of you."

She furrowed her brow. "You tickle me and I will get my hands on a spinning wheel so fast, you won't know what hit you."

I laughed. Her smile cracked. "Alright", she said, then gave an exaggerated sigh. "What I was going to say is that yesterday I hoped you'd come by. I wanted to see you again."  
"I thought about it. I really did."

"I wish you had. As much as you can miss someone that you've only just met, I did miss you and I was looking forward to seeing you again. That's it."  
"I'm glad I came by today."  
"So am I. And I was joking about the spinning wheel."  
I smiled. "Can I ask you something?"  
"Of course."  
"How did this place come to be?"

She sat up, tucking her legs under her. She sipped the last of her wine and set the glass back on the table.

"Mickey is really the one you should ask, but I don't know if he will, or can, tell you. I suppose he is the one who built it. Now, the one in your world was built by the company but then this one came along, sort of mimicking it. Disneyland was first, of course, but each time something changes in the outerworld version, ours takes it cue from that."

"I should have guessed."

"He knows you're here right now. Did you know that?"  
"He's spying on us?"

She laughed. "No, not at all. It's more like...he's connected to all of us. He knows where we are when he needs or wants to. If he's not curious about either of our whereabouts right now, then he _doesn't_ know. But if he wants to, he will. None of us are ever very far from his mind."  
I nodded. "This is all making me feel a bit daft."  
"You're fine. You're just in a new world with new rules. You'll get used to it."

"I hope you're right."  
"You're not daft, Steven. Maybe a little innocent, but it's nice. Charming, even."

We looked at each other for a moment and her smile faded but this time I had no fear that she was cross.

"Steven, I believe that I am about to kiss you. Now, if that's not something you want me to do, you should speak up."

I said nothing.

Maleficent leaned in and placed a quick kiss on my lips. Then she leaned back, flashed a knowing smile and shifted herself again, draping her legs across my lap as before.

"The fireworks are about to start again", she said. "Let's stay just like this."  
"Sounds good to me." I laid my arm across her legs, resting my hand on her shin.

"Yes, it sounds good to me as well."  
She was right. The second show was better than the first.

Chapter Eight

The next day we met for lunch at the Brown Derby. I chose the vegetarian pho and she got the same.

"You can eat meat in front of me. It won't offend me."

"I don't want to. This is what I want."

We brought our plates and our drinks, water and wine, to our table by the window.

"So", I asked, "will there be fireworks again tonight?"  
She smiled and had a bite of her lunch. "There could be. Or maybe something else..."

"Like what?"

"Well, I don't know. What's your suggestion?"  
"We could go for a walk."  
"We could do that after lunch."  
"True. Maybe we could play a game."  
"A game, you say? What kind of game?"  
"I don't know. Trivial Pursuit?"  
"I'm not going to guess the names of one-hit wonders of the eighties with you. Try again."  
"I'm sure I could get something from my forget-me-not- room. Or maybe there's a game around here we could play. In one of the gift shops?"  
"Magic Kingdom Candyland? I think not."

"So, not that one, but we could still look?"  
"What did you do for fun in the outerworld, Steven?"

I thought about that. "I don't really know."  
"Concentrate. There must be something."  
"I really don't know. I can't remember. There are a lot of details of my life out there that I can't remember at all. I still can't recall my last name."  
She reached across the table and brushed a stray hair from my forehead. "Does that bother you?"  
"Maybe not as much as it should. If I could remember what I've forgotten, I suppose it would bother me more."  
"But then you wouldn't have forgotten it."

"Exactly. Catch-22."

"What's that?"  
"A novel by Joseph Heller. I had to read it in high school. One of the few books I was forced to read that I actually enjoyed. Mike Nichols made a film of it. A pretty good one. _That_ , I remember."

"You do seem to have memories of books and music and things. You've certainly no blank spaces when it comes to all things Disney."

"Nope. I know Pluto's first appearance in a Disney cartoon was before he became Mickey's dog. Useful, isn't it?"

"But you don't know where you're from?"  
I shrugged. "America, I would guess. I think I sound American, anyway."

She smiled. "Can you recall anything about your job?"  
"I'm fairly sure I wasn't a neurosurgeon."  
"Were you married? Do you have children?"

I looked at my hands, devoid of any jewelry. "I don't think so. I'd like to believe if I had a wife or kids, I would remember them."  
"I would hope so."  
"Excuse me", said a voice behind us. We turned and found Kylo Ren. He was wearing jeans and a black t-shirt but there was no mistaking him.

"You're the human, is that right?"

"We've been discussing that. It seems that I am."  
He nodded, only once. Then he looked at Maleficent.

"I'm an admirer of your work. You were an excellent villain."  
"Thank you", she said with a slight air of apprehension.

He nodded again. Then he said "I don't wish to disturb you further", turned on his heel and left.

Once he was out of the restaurant, she looked at me and said "He was...interesting."

"He's a complicated guy. Of course I haven't seen the last film in the series yet."

"I take it he's a villain."  
"Pretty much. There's some good in him. It's complicated. His name is Kylo Ren. Well, actually his name is Ben Solo but Kylo Ren is how he prefers to be known. In fact, when you met me yesterday, I was talking to his mother."  
She looked shocked. "Leia? Is _his_ mother?"

I nodded.

"I know you said there was something complicated about their child but I'm not feeling confident about her parenting skills."

"Like you said, it's complicated."

"I shall take your word for it. Anyway, let's get back to the issue at hand. What shall we do this evening?"

I smiled. "Would it be terribly forward of me to say I hope that you'll kiss me again?"  
She blushed a little and took my left hand in both of hers. She turned it over and seemed to be examining each of my fingers.

Without raising her eyes, she said, "I do like you, Steven. This feels...odd for me, but it's the truth."  
"Odd because you're a villain?"  
"No, no...no. Odd because...I don't normally like people. I mean, I don't dislike them...I just don't seek them out...Or let them in. Perhaps it is like you said..." She looked into my eyes. "I'm introverted."

"I think I probably am too. Maybe more in the outerworld than here."

She nodded. "But I do like you. I do want you to be around." She smiled. "And I did enjoy kissing you."

"You can do that any time you like."

"If we do nothing but kiss, it will fast become irretrievably boring."  
"And we'd have very chapped lips. But, to get serious for a moment, I enjoy being around you as well and I want to stay around. As much as you'd like."  
She kissed the palm of my hand and released it. "As much as possible. It's a new thing for me, Steven, but I have no intention of letting it go unexplored."

I wanted to say something clever but couldn't think of anything so I just smiled and raised my glass.

"To exploring new things."  
She smiled and raised hers to mine. "Indeed."

After I had cobbler and she had cake, we took a walk down Hollywood Boulevard, meandering through the gift shops in an attempt to find a game we might enjoy. Disney versions of Snakes and Ladders and The Game of Life were mutually ruled out. Maleficent thought Clue looked like fun until I pointed out that it needed more than two players.

We sat down on a bench outside the shops as a few First Order stormtroopers passed by.

"We could always play cards", she said.

"I don't really know any card games. Except solitaire and that's one you play by yourself so that's not going to work."

"If you don't play cards, why do you carry them?"

"Habit, I suppose."  
"Well that settles it. In the outerworld, your profession was riverboat gambler."

I burst out laughing and she did the same. I enjoyed hearing her laugh. It never sounded evil or malicious in the slightest. Always joyous and lively.

"I really doubt that. I don't think riverboats have been a thing for a long time."  
"Then tell me what habit prompts the habit of carrying playing cards."

I wasn't sure why, but I wasn't enthusiastic about answering that.

"Magic", I said, practically mumbling it.

"Excuse me?"  
"Magic. Not your kind, though."

"Oh. You mean magic like magic _tricks_ , yes?"

"Yes."

She crossed her arms and smiled. "Alright. Show me."  
"Oh, come on."

" _You_ come on."

"You can teleport, conjure fireworks and turn into a dragon and I'm supposed to show you a card trick? That would be like playing the kazoo to impress Miles Davis."

"We're not moving from this bench until you show me something. Now, come on. Dazzle me."

"A moment ago I only had to show you something. _Now_ I've got to dazzle you. No pressure there. I sense a spinning wheel in my future."

She smiled and ruffled my hair. "Never."

I did a quick version of the Ambitious Card, a trick in which a card keeps returning to the top of the deck, no matter how many times it's placed back in the center. For the finish, I had the card return after she had marked it with an 'M'.

She drummed her fingers on her thigh and regarded what she had seen. "No sorcery involved, eh?"

"None. Just skill."  
"And what practical purpose does that skill serve?"  
"It really doesn't. It's just something that guys with too much free time and an inability to talk to women learn. It is just a meaningless display of impractical ability."  
She smiled again. "Perhaps so, but it is impressive all the same. I imagine there are other tricks you can do, yes?"  
I nodded. "I've taught a couple to Rapunzel. I'm sure she'll want me to teach her more."

"Maybe that was your profession, then. Maybe you were a magician."  
"I doubt it. In fact I have a strange suspicion that I might have been a librarian."

"Now, I like the sound of that. I can picture you curating books. I think you would be very good at it."

"Do you think I should try that here? Is there a call for a library in Disneyworld? Could I get Kylo Ren to check out How to Win Friends and Influence People?"

She giggled. "For now, stick to card tricks."

"Since we're discussing our pasts, do you mind if I ask you a personal question?"  
"Certainly not. Ask anything you like."

"Alright. Does it bother you to have the same voice as Lady Tremaine?"  
She looked surprised. "No. Why would it?"

"I don't know. I just thought it was interesting."

"I'm not saying that it isn't but I'll tell you what. The next time you see Winnie the Pooh, ask him if he minds sounding like the Cheshire Cat."  
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend."

She put her hand on my knee. "You did _not_ offend me. Let me put it this way..." She leaned in close and whispered in my ear. "When I do this, do you hear me...or Madame Leota?"  
I smiled. "You."  
She leaned back again. "Then that settles it."

We were in the dining hall of her castle, seated across from each other and playing Disney Monopoly. We'd dealt out all the property cards at the start, to try and speed up the game and all that had done was ensured that I took less time than usual to start losing.

"This game is abysmal", Maleficent said.

"It may be the leading cause of divorce in my world."

"It's completely absurd. What would be the point of a hotel on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad?"

"It would be a tad on the noisy side."

She looked up at me and smiled.

"Do you want to finish this?"

"I guess it doesn't really matter."

She set her cards down and leaned back in her chair. "What shall we do instead?"

"There might be a copy of Scrabble around here somewhere."

"Pass. Try again."  
"I don't know. We could go for a swim at one of the hotels."  
She shook her head. "I do not swim."  
"You can't swim?"  
"I can. I don't."

"Why not?"

She raised one eyebrow. It was a look I had become familiar with. I took it to mean _you're being nosy or kind of an ass and I want it to look like that annoys me even though it doesn't really_.

"I don't own a swimsuit."  
"You could get one."

"I'm not going swimming."

"OK. We could watch a movie."

"Where? The cinema at Disney Springs?"

"Back at my place."

"Maybe. What kind of movie?"

"What kind do you like?"  
She shrugged. "I don't know. I've watched very few. And they were all Disney films."  
"I liked horror movies. I've got a lot of them."

"That might work. Something scary or ghoulish."  
"Sure."  
"But not tonight. I'd rather stay here, if it's all the same to you."  
"OK."

Neither of us said anything for a moment. Then I broke the ice with what I was afraid might be another stupid question.

"I'm curious about something."

"Yes?"  
"I haven't seen any mirrors in your castle. Don't you need them?"  
"I know what I look like."  
"But I mean, for combing your hair or..."

She raised an eyebrow again. "Is there something wrong with my hair?"

"Your hair is beautiful."

She sighed. "I don't like looking at myself."  
"Oh. Alright. Well, I like looking at you."  
"You're biased towards me."

"I thought you were beautiful before the fireworks or the kisses."  
She looked away and nodded. "I know. I'm not trying to be ungrateful, Steven. I just...don't like the way I look."  
I wished I could say something profound, that would help her to see herself the way I did. The best I could manage was "I think you're the most beautiful woman in Disneyworld."

She sighed again. "Steven, I am surrounded by princesses. Snow, Cindy, Ariel, Belle, Tiana, Moana...they're all absolutely beautiful. Even Hildy and Gothel are gorgeous."

"Who's Hildy?"

"Snow's stepmother."

"Oh."

"My point is, I am surrounded by stunning women and here I am...looking like a horned olive."  
"Maleficent, you do not look like that at all."

"None of those women are green."

"Gamora is green and she's really hot."

"Heard of her, but never seen her. _And_ she's an alien. I would assume her entire race are green. Nothing remarkable about her in that regard. I'm right, aren't I?"  
I nodded. "But your skin is lovely. Your horns are magnificent. You know I've always loved the color green. It's true. Green and purple are my favorite colors." That suddenly seemed more pertinent than it had before. "That's an interesting coincidence. Anyway, what I'm trying to get at is don't you see that your skin and your horns are just a couple of the things that _make_ you beautiful?"

She took in a deep breath. Then she pushed her chair back and stood up. She walked around to my side of the table and took my hand.

"Stand up, please."  
I did and she embraced me. I put my arms around her. We held each other like that for a couple of minutes, neither saying a word.

She was the one to break the embrace, though she kept her hands on my arms.

"No more games, Steven. Not tonight. And not Monopoly ever again."  
I smiled. So did she.

"Steven, I cannot tell you when I last felt this way about someone. I keep to myself more than most. I don't even see Hildy all that often and she's my oldest friend. I am not one to go about showing emotions...or anything at all. I believe the best way to phrase it is that I prefer it when you are around to when you are not. I'm sorry if that sounds austere or unemotional. I promise you my feelings are nothing of the sort."

"It's alright. I feel the same. Maleficent...if you want me, I'm yours."

She cocked her head to the side, smiled and asked "What do you mean, _if_?"

Then she kissed me.

"Now, Steven, unless you don't want to..."

"What?"

She touched my cheek with her hand. "Come to my bedchamber."

A few hours later, while Maleficent slept, I crept out of bed and went to the window. Only a few lights were on in the park but the moon shone brightly. The park looked simultaneously deserted and peaceful and I was afraid.

I sat back down on the bed. She rolled over, reached out her hand and took mine.

"What are you doing?"

"Thinking."

"Well, you must be thinking of something important. What is it?"

I sighed. "I don't think I should tell you."  
Her tone changed a little. Not harsh, but serious. "I'm not sure that there's anything you _shouldn't_ tell me."

I just stared towards the window.

"Steven, talk to me."  
"I was just sitting here...just sitting here, thinking that I hope I'm dead."

"What? What in the world are you talking about?"

"Because if I'm not dead, then I'm dreaming and if I'm dreaming, then I'm going to wake up and I don't want to wake up."

She sat up and positioned herself behind me, wrapping her arms around my chest.

"You are _not_ dead and you are _not_ dreaming. This is real." She kissed my shoulder. " _I'm_ real. _You're_ real. All of this is real."

I sighed again. She turned my face to hers and kissed me deeply. Then she touched her forehead to mine. "This is no dream, Steven. Now come back to bed."  
She pulled me down with her and I laid on my back. She pulled the black satin sheet up over us and wrapped an arm and a leg around me. I could feel her breathing on my neck. I felt better. Being held by her, knowing I was safe as long as we were together.

Eventually I fell back asleep.

Chapter Nine

"And what is that thing?"  
She was seated on my bed, cross-legged and barefoot. She was pointing to my iPod.

"It plays music."

"Yes, that's what I thought. Never had one myself. Barely even used that phone Mickey gave me until I met you."  
I smiled and sat beside her. She stretched one leg out across mine and I put my hand on her knee.

"Do you choose the music that it plays?"

"Yes. All the stuff I like is in there."

"Let me hear."

I switched it on. "Let me see what was playing last. I don't think you'd care for Anthrax all that much." I skipped a few songs till 'Kiss' by Prince began. Then I handed her the headphones.

She listened for a moment, then asked "Is this a child singing?"

I laughed. "No, he just sang like that sometimes."

"Who is he?"

"His name is Prince."

She rolled her eyes. "You're joking."  
"No, that was his real name."  
She handed the headphones back to me. "Catchy, I suppose."

"I have playlists in here, so I can group the songs I want to hear together."

"Like what?"

"Well...I have one for Halloween. That's my favorite holiday. I have another that's all songs from the eighties, which is when I first started really listening to music. I also have one that's just my favorite songs."

"Well, that's the one I should listen to."

I held the pod out to her. "Do you want to borrow it?"  
"Maybe I'll just listen to it while you're gone."  
"You could come with me tonight. You know you're welcome to."  
"And you know that I don't want to. I don't like the idea of going back to Magic Kingdom. If I wasn't in your home, I doubt that I'd be in Epcot right now."

I smiled. "It was pretty impressive. You appearing in my living room in a burst of green fire. Not sure how that didn't burn the carpet."

She smiled and kissed me. "Magic, sweetie."

"Why did you leave Magic Kingdom, anyway?"

"The same reason I left Disneyland and Epcot. Because I no longer wanted to be there."

"I didn't know you'd ever lived in Epcot."  
She shrugged. "It was years ago."

"Do you want to talk about it? Any of it? I'm happy to listen."

She laid back on my bed. I started to lay down beside her but she shook her head.

"This will be easier to say if I can face you."

"OK."  
Then she furrowed her brow and put her feet in my lap. "But if I'm going to tell you my history, you have to make yourself useful while I do."  
I smiled and began to rub her feet.

She took a deep breath, then began. "I came into being when Sleeping Beauty opened, a few years after Disneyland was created. It is Aurora's castle after all. We were all there. Aurora, Philip, Flora, Fauna and Merryweather."

"Were they mean to you?"

"No...not mean. I just think that we didn't know how to...talk to each other. We knew we weren't exactly who the people in the film were, no matter how happy Aurora and Philip are. I didn't feel that I belonged with the others. Not just those from Sleeping Beauty but anyone, really. Well, Hildy has always been nice to me and the other villains were alright. But I never felt at home. When Disneyworld became real, although it was just Magic Kingdom then, I decided to move. I knew Aurora and the others would be staying behind so I thought getting away from them would be a help."

"Was it?"  
"For a while, maybe. I suppose it was helpful in that it made it clear to me that I preferred spending my time on my own. _That's_ why I moved into Epcot as soon as it was possible."

"Where did you live?"  
"Mickey placed my castle in Germany. You know when Epcot opened, there were no characters? Aside from Figment and Dreamfinder, that is. That was the big selling point for me – no characters. Solitude."

"That's hardly what Epcot is like now. I do remember that, though. Not a sign of Mickey or Donald or anyone anywhere."  
"Others who wanted a little space to themselves came over as well. That's when Cru moved in. Little by little, Epcot became as populated and as visited as Magic Kingdom. Not a place to truly be alone."  
"I get that."

"Do you?"

"Yes, I think so. I don't know. It feels familiar. The idea that maybe you're not really disliked or anything but you're not really wanted around either. The idea that no one would really miss you if you left, or at least that they wouldn't miss you for very long."

"Is that how you felt in the outerworld?"  
"I don't know. Maybe."

She sat up and kissed me. "Us introverts have to stick together then, right?"

I smiled. "Right."  
She took my hand in hers. "Then along came Hollywood Studios. It didn't sound appealing to me at all. But Fantasmic changed all that because I was one of the stars. In my dragon form, anyway. Yes, I was the villain who had to be vanquished by Mickey but when I visited the amphitheater for the first time...it was like I could feel the energy, that I was connected to the place. I asked Mickey to relocate my castle there and it's been home ever since."

"Even with the coming of the superheroes and space cadets."

She took my hand and kissed it. "Even then."

"Was the solitude what you wanted?"

"For the most part, I suppose. Not always, though. Sometimes I would get lonely. I'd take dragon form and fly over Magic Kingdom, looking down and watching the activity. It was like I didn't want to be a part of it but I didn't want to be left out either."  
"Classic introvert. I don't want to come but please invite me all the same."

She giggled a little. "Yes."

"It is good to have a home, a place where you feel you belong."  
"Absolutely. Though I must say, I do like your house."

"You're welcome here anytime."

"Thank you."

"Are you sure you're OK with me going without you tonight?"  
"I'm not going to turn to dust or forget you exist."

"That's not what I meant."

"I know. But I also know how you miss your friends in the Kingdom."  
"And you're sure you won't come with me? I'm sure they'd be happy to see you."

She shook her head.

"OK then."  
She sat up. "And you're sure you don't mind if I laze here while you're out tonight?"

"Of course."

"I shall raid your kitchen and listen to your little jukebox."  
I giggled. "I'm going to start calling it that."

She hugged me tight. "Just come home soon, alright? I will miss you."  
"You know I will."  
"You're very important to me, Steven."

"As you are to me, Maleficent. I do want to see my friends, but I will miss you very much."

"We'll be together at the end of the night. I look forward to that."

I leaned back and took her hands in mine. "Why don't we have a day out tomorrow?"

"Don't we do that everyday?"  
"Yes, but we could do it here. At Epcot."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. The food is great. We can ride a few rides, too."

"Too many people."

"You don't have to talk to them if you don't want to."

"I don't want to be rude, either."

"We might not even see anyone other than Cru. You already know her."  
She sighed. "Look, I will think about it while you're gone. But that's all I will promise you, that I will think about it."

"OK."

She pushed me down on the bed and straddled me, her hands on my shoulders.

"I shall consider your proposal, sir. And I will eat your food and listen to your music and when you get back..."

"Yes?"

She leaned in as close as possible. "I shall pounce on you and devour you."

"Sounds kind of scary", I said with a grin.

"Don't worry. I'm sure I won't be that hungry by then. Maybe just a nibble." Then she kissed me again and smiled. "Do you know that you adored by the most evil villain in Disney history? I'd say that's some pretty strong protection."  
I smiled.

"You should go. I'm sure they've been wondering where you've been hiding yourself. To get there early would be my recommendation."

I had just turned on to Main Street when I heard the laughter. Ahead of me, I saw Tiana, Rapunzel and Nessa coming out of a cafe. As soon as they spied me, Rapunzel screamed with delight and and they all came running over. I found myself the center of an enthusiastic group hug.

"You're back!" Rapunzel shouted.

"I figured we'd lost you for good", Tiana said.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry", I said as they let go of me.

"Calm down, guys", Nessa said. "He doesn't belong to us, you know. But seriously where have you been?"  
"Mostly Hollywood Studios of late. But I'm back tonight, for dinner at least."

Tiana put her hands on her hips. "Rebellion or Empire?" she asked with a grin.

I laughed. "Neither. Though I've met both."

"Toy Story Mania is kind of a waste if you're by yourself", Rapunzel said.

Nessa looked at me quizzically. "I _live_ in Hollywood Studios and I never see you there. Where exactly are you hiding yourself?"

Tiana put her hand to her mouth. "Oh!"

"What?" Rapunzel asked.

Tiana took a deep breath, then said, "He's got a girlfriend."  
"But who could it be?", Rapunzel asked.

"Jessie and Leia are out of the question", Tiana said, "and I don't think Bo-Peep seems right." She turned to Nessa. "You'd know if it was Joy, right?"

"Yeah, I'd know." There was a tinge of disappointment in her voice that made me feel awful.

"Rey?" Rapunzel asked. "Isn't she a bit young for you?"  
"I haven't even met Rey. I've made a close friend and that's who I've been spending time with. But I haven't forgotten you, any of you. That's why I'm here now."  
"And this friend is definitely a girl", Tiana said.

"I'm not going to confirm or deny anything, OK?"  
" _Absolutely_ a girl", Rapunzel said.

"Well, I don't have any idea", Nessa said. "You may as well tell us. Nothing stays a secret around here. Not for very long, anyway."

"You do _want_ to tell us, don't you?" Rapunzel asked.

I sighed. "Yeah, I do. I'm sure some people at the Studios know already, though no one's said anything, even the few that have seen us out together."

"So, come on. Who's the lucky lady?" Tiana asked.

"I'll only tell you if you agree to keep it between the four of us, at least for now. OK?"  
They all nodded.

"It's Maleficent."  
No one said a thing for what was probably thirty seconds but felt like an hour.

"Alright", Tiana asked, "who is it really?"

"It's really Maleficent."

"The Mistress of All Evil", Rapunzel said, mostly to herself.

"Don't be like that", Nessa said. "There's no bad blood between you and Gothel. You can't expect Maleficent to be a bad person because of what happened in the film."

"I'm not!" She looked to me. "Steven, really, I'm not. It's just that...well, I don't know. I don't know _her_. I've never even met her."

"Neither have I", said Tiana.

"I haven't either", said Nessa, "but that doesn't mean anything. She and Steven have something together so she must be, well, lovely." She hugged me. "I'm very happy for you. For both of you."  
I looked in her eyes. She meant it. I still felt bad, but I knew she was being honest.

"Thank you, Nessa."

"We're happy for you, too", Tiana said.

"Yes", said Rapunzel, "it's just..."

"Weird?" I asked.

"Unexpected."

Nessa took a step back and smiled. "Come on, dinner's waiting."

We entered the restaurant together and I said, in a hush, "No mentioning you-know-who, OK? Let me be the one to tell anyone. _If_ I'm going to tell anyone, that is."

"I'll only tell Flynn", Rapunzel said.

Tiana put a hand on her shoulder. "No, you won't. Rapunzel, I love you but you know if you tell Flynn, by the end of the night, _everyone_ will know. Neither of you can keep a secret to save your lives."

"Pfft. Fine. But Steven has to teach me another magic trick for my silence."

"Any one you like, Rapunzel."'

Her eyes lit up. "Will you teach me how to get out of a straightjacket?"  
"Sure. I think I can do that."  
"And how to cut someone in half?"

"Yes, if you like."

"And make a building disappear?"  
"I...don't know how to do that but...I will see what I can do."

Nessa grabbed Rapunzel's hand. "He's buying your temporary silence, Rapunzel, not getting you into Hogwart's."

She closed her eyes and nodded. "OK, it's a deal."

I ate with Belle and Adam. My absence of late coupled with my demeanor gave the game away to them almost immediately but neither asked who I had been spending my time with.

"She must be amazing, whoever she is", Belle said.

"I think she is."

"And I imagine she feels the same about you", said Adam.

I smiled sheepishly. "She does. Even if I could remember life in the outerworld, I don't know that I'd be able to remember being this happy. I'd love to tell you who she is but..."  
"She's not ready, is she?" Belle asked.

"Not yet. Believe me, if it was only up to me, I'd be shouting it from the rooftops."

"But you're not", Adam said, "because you're respectful."  
"Do you think she's embarrassed?" Belle asked.

"I don't think that's it. It's more like she's afraid. Of the possible reactions, that is. I think she's just also uncomfortable around most people."

A hand tapped me on the shoulder. I turned to find Mickey, smiling broadly.

"Hiya, pal!"  
I shook his hand warmly. "Mickey, I'm so happy to see you. I'm sorry I haven't been around more often lately."

"Don't worry about it. But would you do me a favor?"

"Of course."  
"Come find me after dinner. I'd like to talk to you about something."

"I'll do that."

After seconds and desert and giving Rapunzel a couple of pointers on her card handling, I set out to find Mickey. On one hand, I felt somewhat nervous, like I was being called into a meeting with the principal. On the other, it was hard to be truly apprehensive about a chat with Mickey Mouse.

He was waiting for me in the circus tent in New Fantasyland. He smiled when he saw me.

"Thanks for coming, Steven. I can't tell you how good it is to see you."  
"Thank you, Mickey. It was good to be back, even for a short time."  
"I wanted to make sure I told you that this new relationship agrees with you. You seem much happier. Less worried."

"So you _do_ know. She said you would."

He chuckled. "Well, I know the two of you are rarely apart. It wasn't much of a leap from there."

"Well, I'm glad you're not bothered by it."  
"Oh, no. I'm happy for you! More importantly, I'm happy for her. She's always been so...lonely."

"She still is."  
"But she has you now."  
I paced a bit while I spoke. "And I'm sure she'd be happy if the two of us just squirreled ourselves away in her castle for the rest of time but...I don't want that. She was sad about me coming here tonight, you know? She tried to downplay it, but I could tell she really didn't want me to go. And I'm not sure if it was more that she didn't want me to leave or that she wished she had the fortitude to come with me."  
"She wishes she had friends like you do."  
"I don't expect to hear her say it like that but, yes, I think you're right."  
"Bring her around sometime."  
"It's not that easy. Right now, I'm hoping she'll even just take a walk around Epcot with me."

Mickey took my hand. "It's going to be OK, Steven. Compassion, understanding, time and love. Those things are important. If the two of you are giving those to each other, you will be fine."

I thought about his words and nodded. "Thank you, Mickey."

When I entered my bedroom, I thought she was asleep. She was lying in bed, eyes closed and the covers pulled up to her shoulders. Her clothes were on a chair in the corner.

As I crept into the bathroom to change, she asked "how was it?"  
I turned. Her eyes were open. She was smiling.

"It was good. It was nice. I missed you, but I had a good time."

She reached out to me. I took her hand and held it.

"Come to bed."  
"As soon as I get out of these things."  
I undressed, brushed my teeth and climbed into bed. She snuggled close. "I'm glad you had fun."  
"It was good to see them. I wish you'd been with me."  
"Do they know? About us?"

"Well...a few do."  
"Mickey being number one."

"Yes. He says he's very happy for both of us. The others that found out are sworn to secrecy, even if that means I have to spend the rest of my life giving Rapunzel magic lessons."

"When you speak of her, Rapunzel sounds kind of charming."

"She is. She's also exuberant as all get-out, but lovely all the same."

Maleficent chuckled. "Alright. Who else knows?"  
"Nessa and Tiana."

"Hmm...so, other than Mickey, no one I've actually met."

"Right. They all came along after you moved to Hollywood."

"New girls, the lot of them."

"Did you do anything fun while I was gone? Is there any food left?"

She giggled. "Your kitchen is undecimated. But I will say that raspberry gelato is delicious."

"Oh, don't I know it."

"I made a stab at reading one of your books."

"Which one?"

"Mason and Dixon."

"Oh, right. The one I carry everywhere to remind myself to try and read it."

"I gave up after five pages."  
"I like Pynchon but I just can't get into that one for some reason."

"Then I listened to your little jukebox."  
"OK."  
"I listened to your list of favorite songs. Not the whole thing. There's four hundred songs in there for goodness' sake. But a good bit of it."

"Did you hear anything you liked?"  
"I like Leonard Cohen."  
"He was great."  
"I do _not_ like Ramones. They are loud and incoherent."

"Punk isn't for you. That's cool."

She sat up and looked at me. "I heard two songs about suicide. Both with phone numbers in the lyrics. Presumably numbers you call to get help with how to kill yourself. Doesn't that strike you as, I don't know, horrifying?"

"I guess I thought they were funny."  
"Funny?"

"In a dark way. I hope you're not worried about me because of a couple of somewhat tasteless songs. I promise you I would never try to kill myself."

"You had better not."  
"It's just music. Did you hear anything else that you _did_ like?"

She lay back down. "I liked the Queen. He has a good voice."  
"Queen was the name of the band. The singer's name was Freddie Mercury."  
"And I suppose that was his real name, as well?"  
"Nope."  
"So Prince is a real name but Mercury is not. Musicians are a strange lot in your world."

I laughed. "I imagine they're a strange lot in all worlds. Have you met the Electric Mayhem?"

"You said his name _was_ Mercury. Is he dead?"

"Yes. So is Leonard Cohen. And Prince. And the Ramones, too. Well, the original four, anyway."  
"That's sad."

"No one dies here, do they?"  
"No, but we know what death is. What it means. We feel it sometimes."  
"When do you feel it?"  
"We felt it when Walt died."

That hit me. "Oh. I'm sorry."  
"And Roy. Both Roys. Sometimes animators or actors, too. I suppose it depends on how connected we feel to those who created us. We always know when someone instrumental in Disney dies. I suppose Atencio was the most recent."  
"That was sad. He had such talent. I mean, he had a good long life but I was still sad when I heard he was gone. You know he wrote the lyrics to my favorite song?"  
"Your favorite song is Grim Grinning Ghosts?"

"How did you know that?"  
"It's on the list, silly."

"Oh, right."

We were silent for a moment. Then she turned her face to mine.

"I love you, Steven."  
"I love you, Maleficent."  
She smiled. "Tomorrow we will have a day out."  
"In Epcot?"  
She shook her head. "Hollywood Studios."

"Oh, OK."  
"And we won't just eat lunch and walk around. We're going to ride some rides."

"Really?"  
"Yes. Even that silly Star Wars thing, if you insist."

"I will never insist that you do anything."

"If you want to do it, I will give it a try."  
I smiled. "Let's see what tomorrow brings."  
We kissed. She nuzzled her face into my shoulder and soon we were both asleep.

Chapter Ten

It was her hands on my chest that woke me. I stirred but did not open my eyes.

"You're cold", she said.

"And your hands are warm."

"Come on, I'm hungry."

"What do you want for breakfast?"  
"I don't know. Where do you like?"  
"I've always been fond of The Wave at The Contemporary. We could get the bus from here."

"Or you could ride on the back of a majestic dragon..."

I opened my eyes. "How do you feel about pancakes?"

"You don't want to fly?"

"I'm not great with heights. I'm sorry but it sounds a little scary."

"I promise I would never drop you."

"I believe you. I just think I might...you know...poop."  
"In that case, I feel very well about pancakes."  
"OK. I'll make us some."

After breakfast, she teleported back to her castle to shower and change clothes. I left the dishes in the sink knowing that, thanks to Disney magic, when I came back to the kitchen they would be clean and put away.

When I stepped out of the shower, Maleficent was sitting on my bed, listening to my iPod. She smiled. I started to dress.

"What are you listening to?"  
"Queen. It is just Queen and not _The_ Queen, correct?"

"Yes."

"Seems like it should be the other way. I don't know. I guess I've spent too much time being around royalty."  
"How do you like it? The music, not the aristocracy."

She laughed. "I like it a lot. The album is called A Kind of Magic. I chose it on account of the title. This One Year of Love song is very nice."

I was about to open the front door when she stopped me.

"What are you doing?"

"Um...leaving the house?"

She smiled, shook her head and took my hand. "No. I know a shortcut."

She pulled me into a tight embrace and told me to close my eyes. I did as requested and we were engulfed in what felt like a massive rush of warm air.

"You can open your eyes now, darling."

I did and found that we were standing at the entrance to Hollywood Studios.

Maleficent released me and took a step back. She smiled, a look of hopeful curiosity on her face.

"Not too intense for you, I hope?"

"I may have peed a little."  
She gasped. "I'm so sorry! I should have given you a proper warning."

"I'm exaggerating. It's fine. It was a shock but it was fine. Less of a shock next time, I'm sure."

She gave me a kiss, then asked "Alright, what shall we do first?"  
"Want to meet the Muppets?"

"Alright. Why not?"

Inside the theater we were greeted by Gonzo, who insisted on giving us both hugs while his chicken friends clucked merrily around our feet.

"Steven, it's so good to see you again!"

"I'm glad to be back, Gonzo."

"And Miss Maleficent! A special guest! This is so exciting!"

He turned and called out for the others. "Hey, everyone! Steven's back! And he's brought a friend!"

In no time at all we were surrounded by Muppets. I leaned down to Piggy so that we could kiss each other on the cheek. Uncle Deadly took Maleficent's hand and told her what a big fan he was.

"How can help you today, Steven?" Kermit asked.

"Well, if it's not too much trouble, Maleficent has never seen the film. Would you mind running it for us?"

"Would we mind? Of course we wouldn't mind! In fact, we'll go one better. We'll perform it live for you!"

"Really?"  
"It would be our pleasure", Rowlf added.

Then Kermit turned to Maleficent and said "And I'd like to say it's a great pleasure to meet someone else who understands that it's not easy being green."  
She tilted her head and a wide smile broke upon her face.

"Thank you, Kermit."

"Alright, everybody! Places! Places!"  
They hurried off and in various directions and Maleficent and I went to take our seats.

From the balcony came a pair of familiar voices.

"Oh no, it's that weirdo from the outerworld who actually thinks the screwy bear is funny!"

"Well, it just goes to show."

"Goes to show what?"

"Education is terrible everywhere!"  
Maleficent turned to Statler and Waldorf and fixed them with a evil stare. They froze in terror.

I took her hand. "That's their part, sweetheart. Fozzie tells bad jokes, Gonzo does weird stunts and they make fun of everything. It's all part of the act."

She pointed to the balcony. "I'm watching you. Remember that."  
Then she whispered to me. "I'm just messing with them."

"It's a good thing Muppets can't crap their pants."

As the final cannonball landed and the lights came up, Maleficent rose to her feet and applauded heartily. "Bravo!"

The Muppets came down from the stage and gathered around.

"You really liked it?", Fozzie asked.

"Yes, every minute of it." She patted his cheek. "And you are very funny, no matter what those sour old fools in the balcony say."

Fozzie's ears fluttered and I'm sure he would have blushed if he could have.

She didn't enjoy Midway Mania as much. Never having played any kind of video or arcade game before, she lost by a large margin. So she decided we should ride again and that time she lost by a slightly smaller margin.

"We can try again", I said.

"Absolutely", said Woody. "It's all fun and games."  
"Another time", Maleficent said. "We _will_ play again and I have every intention of beating you at least once."

As we fastened our seat belts and the elevator doors closed, I gripped her hand tightly.

"Is something wrong?"

"I probably should have mentioned how much this ride terrifies me."

"Is it the height?"

"The drop from the height. And the mounting anticipation of it happening."

She kissed my cheek. "You'll be fine. You're with me."  
When the first drop came, she screamed as loud as I did. The difference was she was screaming with delight.

Rock 'n Roller-Coaster didn't go over as well. "The music's too loud."

"I should have thought of that."  
"Change the music and I'll like it a lot more."  
"We can ask, but I don't think it's going to work as well with Leonard Cohen."

We sat at a table outside Fairfax Faire, eating ice cream.

"I suppose there really aren't that many rides here after all", I said. "I thought some new Toy Story ones were coming and that Mickey and Minnie one but I think we've just about exhausted our list of things to do."

"Looks that way", she said.

"Have you had fun?" I asked. "Be honest."

"I will always be honest with you. Yes, dearest, I have had fun. I love the Muppets and I'm going to be riding the Tower of Terror many times to come, even if you don't come with me."  
"Good. I'm very glad you're having a good time."

"And there is still one ride we haven't tried."

"Yes, one left."  
"Space cadets."

"We don't have to do that."  
"You're right. We don't have to." She finished her cone. "Instead, let's do it because we want to."

This time, it wasn't just R2 and 3P0. They were with an old friend, who smiled when he saw us and jumped over the barrier to say a proper hello.

"Steven! About time we met!" He shook my hand vigorously, then turned to Maleficent and gave a little bow.

"Luke Skywalker, at your service."

"Very nice to meet you", she said.

"Luke is the hero of Star Wars."  
"Well, I'm _one_ of them. Rey, Finn and Poe have picked up the slack quite nicely."

"He's also Leia's brother."  
"Her brother? So that would make you the uncle of the young man we met in the Brown Derby, yes?"

Luke took in a sharp breath. "Ben. Yeah, he's working through some things. You haven't seen the movies, have you?"

"Not yet, no."

"Well, let's just leave it at 'it's complicated'. Are you two here for a ride?"

"Yes, we are", she said.

"Where would you like to go?"  
"Surprise us", I said.

Luke clapped his hands together and smiled. "The Holiday Special, it is!"

"I take it back. Surprise us with something unsurprising. Please."

He laughed. "I'm sure you'll have a great time." Then he nodded towards the Speeder. "Go on, have fun."

I spent the duration of our ride to Jakku terrified that she was hating it. The jostling, the noise, the music, the Star Wars-ness of it all. As it turned out, my fears were groundless. As we undid our safety belts, she threw her arms around me.

"Holy hell, that was fun! I think I like that even better than the Tower of Terror."

"You really thought so?"  
She broke the embrace and smiled. "I absolutely did."

Exiting through the gift shop, we ran into Han and Leia and they asked us if we would like to join them for lunch at Prime Time.

As Maleficent and I shared our lasagna, Han said "Our son is a bit messed up, there's no doubt about that. But he's getting better all the time. Our movies are a bit like that. Everyone thought Vader was the ultimate bad guy but he still got to redeem himself in the end."

Leia added "For Ben, it's been an adjustment finding out that he can't really be cruel or evil here as there's no real use for it. Early after his arrival he tried to order Stitch around. You can probably guess about how well that worked."  
"He knows he doesn't need to keep the bad guy act up but...intensity is his thing, I guess. Like I said, every day a little bit of improvement. When he first got here, he wouldn't even look me in the eye."  
Later, while Han had excused himself for a trip to the restroom, Leia looked at me and said "He doesn't know. Or he doesn't remember. I'm not sure which and I don't want to be the one to tell him."

"Doesn't know what?" Maleficent asked.

"That Ben killed him. Maybe because it was the end, he can't remember it."

Maleficent gave a small nod. "I know how I died. But I don't truly remember it happening. A blessing, I suppose."  
"Yes", Leia said, "I think so."  
"It was a great shock to me", I said, "and I was just watching it in the theater. I can't imagine how bad it was for you."  
"Thank you, Steven."

Han returned then and, casting his gaze to Leia, said "You have that look on your face again."  
"Oh? And exactly what look would that be?"

He sat and put his arm around her. "The look you get when you're thinking about Carrie." He kissed her forehead.

Maleficent looked at me, completely in the dark as to what Han was talking about.

I whispered to her "I'll explain later."

"I like her", she said as we walked down Hollywood Boulevard.

"I could tell."  
"I think we will be friends."

"An honorable idea. Shall we head home now?"

"I think so. To which home shall we head?"

"Whichever you like."  
"Well, you know, I don't have a television in mine..."  
"Up for another haunted house movie?"  
"Actually I was thinking I should watch Star Wars."

I smiled. "Alright. Which one?"

"The first one, obviously."  
"The first one or the first episode?"

She stopped walking and grabbed my hand. "This isn't a vaudeville routine, Steven. I want to see the first Star Wars film."  
"The first one is the fourth one. We'll skip parts one through three. They're pretty crap."  
"The first one is the fourth one? Mathematics an arcane concept in your world?"  
"I'll explain later."

We stepped into the forget-me-not room and, sure enough, there was a stack of Star Wars discs waiting on a shelf. Episodes four through eight and Rogue One. I picked them up.

Maleficent tapped my shoulder. "What in the world is that?", she asked.

I turned to find out what had grabbed her attention.

"Oh", I said. "Wow. I'm going to have to teach Rapunzel that."

Chapter Eleven

On the whole, Maleficent thought Star Wars was more noisy than anything else. A lot of shooting and exploding and yelling and I couldn't really say she was wrong. She did, however, enjoy Han and Leia. Especially Leia.

"She takes no crap from anyone. She doesn't let anyone tell her who she is or who she should be. I like that."

I told her that, despite having roughly the same amount of shooting and explosions, The Empire Strikes Back was better and she agreed that we should give that one a go the following night.

Neither of us were hungry for a full breakfast in the morning so we just grabbed some shortbread cookies from the gift shop near my house and began our ride around Epcot. She suggested that we handle the excursion the way a true visitor would and so we rode to the park's entrance to begin.

"I've been on Spaceship Earth before", she said, gazing up at the immense and impressive structure.

"I didn't know that."

"I'm not a total neophyte", she grinned. "I rode a few of these. On my own, when I was still living in Germany."

"What else did you ride?"  
"Hmm...I think the only other attraction I rode that's still around is Living With The Land."  
"Shall we skip those two, then?"  
"We'll do them another time."

"I'm good with that."

We parked our bikes by the fountain and decided to walk around Future World for a little while. As we passed the transitioning Universe of Energy building, I heard a voice call out.

"Hey! You! You're the guy from Earth, right?"  
We turned to see who was addressing me.

"I don't think I like the idea of a raccoon having a weapon", she said.

"Morning, Rocket. Yes, I'm from Earth."

Next to Rocket was Groot. He smiled and waved. We waved back.

"So, is Earth as big a dump as Quill makes it sound like? Not that he gets that, of course. Oh no, he thinks it's the greatest place in the Universe. What an idiot!"  
"Rocket, didn't you go to Wakanda with Thor? Wakanda's on Earth and it looked pretty nice, too."

Maleficent tugged on my sleeve. "Come on, let's keep walking."

Once we were out of their earshot, she added "I have no idea what any of that was about. You know that, don't you?"

As we climbed out of our Mission: Space capsule, she crouched down.

"Are you alright?"  
"That was...something. But I need food and I need it now."

"Want to wait here while I run and get you something? I can at least grab you a candy bar or something from the gift shop."  
She stood up, slowly. "No, I can walk. Come on, lunch awaits."

We sat in the Sunshine Seasons food court, eating salads and rolls.

"Feeling better?"

"Yes. My stomach is settling. That was...a very intense experience."

"I've always thought so. I do like it, though."  
"Oh, I don't regret it. It's just not something I'll do again on an empty stomach."

"Where shall we head next?"

"Soarin's right here, isn't it?"

"Yes."  
"Then let's do that, then."

We strapped ourselves in and she asked, "We're going to get raised up in the air, yes?"  
"Right."  
"Good." She kicked off her shoes and grabbed my hand.

For the entire ride, she held my hand tight and smiled and gasped and laughed. I think I spent more time watching her reaction than the screen in front of us.

As we landed she squeezed my knee and said "That one is my new favorite."

She enjoyed Test Track so much that she insisted on riding it a second time. After the Finding Nemo ride (which would have been shorter if Dory had not repeatedly introduced herself to us), we intended to re-enter World Showcase but, on the way, we ran into a familiar dragon.

"Maleficent! I haven't seen you in more years than I can count! And I can count pretty high, you know! Just not always in the right order."  
She giggled and patted him on the head. "It's good to see you, Figment. I hadn't forgotten you, I promise. I've just been away."

"Can I interest you two in a journey into imagination?"  
She smiled to me. "I don't see how we can resist."

We started into World Showcase on the Mexico side and sat down for a moment, to plan out the afternoon.

"Which is your favorite restaurant here?"

"Via Napoli, without question. Not that I've had a less than lovely meal anywhere in Epcot."

"Let's save that one for dinner, then."  
"Alright."  
"We must try the Rose and Crown at some point, too. Cru always said it was good."  
"Did you never eat in any of these?"

She shook her head. "I ate at home. It was easier."  
"Well, you can't be hungry right now."

"No, not at all. Maybe a little treat along the way."

"Sounds good."  
She stood up and took my hand. "Come on. I'm ready for a walk around the world with my man."

In Norway, we ran into Elsa. Maleficent took both her hands and smiled. "As you can imagine, I've heard many good things about you. I'm sorry it's taken us so long to meet in person. I'm not always accused of being...friendly."

Elsa smiled. "Please, don't feel bad. I'm very happy to meet you at last." Then she turned to me and shook my hand. "And meeting our guest from the outerworld is a pleasure, too."

"The pleasure is mine, your highness."  
She laughed. "Just call me Elsa."

"Where's the rest of the group today?"  
"Anna and Kristoff took Olaf to ride Mission: Space. He loves it."

I tried to picture Olaf strapped in for a trip to Mars as we continued on our way.

Turning into France, I spied Belle coming out of a shop, a basket of flowers in her hand. She saw the two of us, set her basket down and came running right over.

She took each of us by the hand and smiled with delight.

"As soon as I found out Steven was seeing someone, I knew that, whoever she was, she would be exceptional."

"Thanks, Belle."

She turned to Maleficent.

"You know, I have always wanted to meet you, Maleficent."  
Maleficent blushed a little. "Thank you. I'm sorry it's taken us this long."

Belle looked to me and then back to Maleficent. "I have to say it. You two make a very cute couple. You look good together."

"Thank you", Maleficent said.

"Now the question is shall I tell Rapunzel she no longer has to keep your secret or shall we let her squirm a little longer?"

Maleficent laughed. "Let the poor thing off the hook, please."

"Adam not with you today?", I asked.  
She shook her head. "Nope. Spending the day in his library. So I decided it would be a good day for a walk in the sun. What are you two up to?"  
"Pretty much the same thing", Maleficent said. "Killing time till dinner."  
"I think I'm about ready for a snack", I said.

"Well", Belle asked, "why don't we head into the bakery for some pastries and a chat? That is, if you'd like that. I don't want to intrude."

"You're not intruding at all", Maleficent said. "Besides, I know you've been a good friend to Steven and so I would like to get to know you better, as well."

We snacked and chatted with Belle for about an hour and then began our slow walk back to Italy. We stopped in every shop, watched each movie and looked at every exhibit. We held hands the entire time and often stopped for a kiss.

"All this interaction, is it bothering you? Or wearing you down?"

"It's...different. Perhaps a little intimidating but it's also nice. Aside from that obnoxious raccoon, everyone has been lovely. Belle and Leia. I think we will be good friends. Obviously Elsa, as well. I'm going to have to get to know her better."

"Right. What was that about?"

She gave me a knowing smile and just said "She's important to someone who is important to me."  
Then she turned and caught our reflections in a window. She pulled me closer. "Look at us", she said. "So different but I think we look like we belong together."  
"We're not that different."

She shot me a sideways glance. "Aside from the green skin and horns, you mean?"  
"Oh, that's just appearances. They're not important. You're completely beautiful."  
She took my face in her hands and kissed me.

"I love you, Steven."  
"I love you, Maleficent."  
"And that's all that matters."

She liked Empire a little bit more. "Still noisy", she said "but I want to see Leia beat the daylights out of Vader for what he did to Han."

"I'm not saying anything that will spoil it."  
"I won't ask you to. Just kiss me, instead."

Chapter Twelve

The next day, after breakfast together, Maleficent said she had some business to attend to and probably wouldn't see me until later that night.

"It's nothing you need to worry about. Just some stuff I should have taken care of before."

"I'm not worried, but I can't say I won't miss you."  
"Why don't you teach Rapunzel how to use whatever that thing is while I'm gone?"

"Right. I believe I owe her that."

She kissed me. "I will see you later tonight. Maybe we can watch The Jedi Strikes Again."  
"Return of the Jedi."  
She smiled. "Yes, I knew that was the name. Just having a little fun."

We kissed again and she made her fiery exit.

I took a shower, thought about calling Rapunzel and instead settled in with Mason and Dixon. I read six pages and picked up my phone instead. Not quite half an hour later, Rapunzel and I had a magic lesson in the forget-me-not room. I told her she was welcome to keep the prop, if she could figure out a way to get it to Fantasyland.

After that, she and I had lunch with Remy and Emile. Rapunzel showed them some of her card tricks, which they seemed to quite enjoy and then she and I took a little walk around World Showcase.

"I'm glad you two found each other", she said.

"Thank you."

"But I have a question."

"OK."  
"What happens if you have to go back to the outerworld?"  
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I try not to think about it. I have no idea how I got here so I have no idea how I would leave. Then, there's the issue of my memory. I don't remember what I left behind there and so I don't miss it. Sometimes I wonder if I'm even really from there. Maybe my memories are like the memories you have from Tangled? Maybe I really belong here and...just no one knows why yet."

She nodded. "I think you _do_ belong here. Even if not for Maleficent's sake, I would think so." Then she turned to face me. "I hope you don't leave. Ever."

"Thanks, Rapunzel. Thank you very much."  
She smiled and we kept walking.

"Can I ask you a strange question?"  
"Of course", she said.

"Does anyone ever call you by a nickname? There are times when I almost call you 'Punz' and then I think how weird that sounds."

She laughed. "Flynn just calls me 'sweetheart'. Sometimes Moana or Ariel will call me 'R'."

"That makes some sense. I've heard Cru refer to Maleficent as 'M'."

"But most people stick to my full name. I'm happy with that."  
"Fair enough. I don't think I care for being called Steve. Although..."

"Yes?"

"I kind of think that no one ever has."

Back home, I made it through another few pages of the book and considered retrieving Gravity's Rainbow from the forget-me-not room. I was pretty sure it was the only other Pynchon novel I hadn't read.

Instead I just lay on the sofa and watched movies. Mullholland Drive and The City of Lost Children. You know, light fare.

I had dinner at Be Our Guest, sitting with Naveen, Tiana, Belle and Adam. We talked of inconsequential things, mostly music and, as I was walking back to Main Street, my phone rang.

"Hello, sweetheart. Did you miss me?"

"Terribly."

"Well, I'm home now. Where are you?"

"Main Street. Heading to the monorail."

"See you in a sec, then."  
She hung up and appeared about twenty feet in front of me. I ran to her and we embraced.

"That's never not going to be weird, you know? But I'm always going to like it."  
"What can I say? I'm good at making an entrance."

"Shall we take the monorail together? Or the shortcut?"  
She grinned. "You have to ask."  
I shut my eyes, felt the rush and when I opened them again, we were standing in her bedchamber.

We sat, side by side, on the bed.

"Did you take care of everything you needed to?"  
She smiled. "I did. Guess where I was."  
"Universal Studios."  
"Ha! Not quite. I was in Disneyland."  
"I've been meaning to ask, how does one get to Disneyland in the first place?"

"Oh, well you know Maurice's cottage? It's empty except for a mirror. It's a magic mirror. If you want to go to Disneyland, you just step through it and you'll find yourself standing by the statue at the end of Main Street."

"Huh. Interesting. What did you need to do in Disneyland?"

She stroked my cheek and said "I needed to see Aurora."  
"Really? Wow."  
"I wanted to talk with her and Philip. I wanted to tell them that I was sorry for not being more...I don't know, communicative? I wanted to tell them that I do think of them as family and that, although I have no intention of moving back to Disneyland, I would like to see them more often."

"And how did they take it?"

She gave me a cheeky grin. "She asked if she could call me 'Aunt Maleficent' from now on."  
I laughed and hugged her. "That's great! I'm so happy for you, darling."  
"I know. I know. It's good. It's good to reconnect. You know, you're at least partially the inspiration for that?"

"Well, I don't want the credit but I'm delighted with the results."  
"Of course there was another reason I needed some time today."

"What's that?"

"I had to go shopping."

"OK."  
She got off the bed and stood in front of me. "I picked up this new outfit."

She was wearing a blouse I'd seen her wear before. I was sure the jeans weren't new either.

"You've lost me."

"Not this outfit, darling", she said. Then she pulled off her blouse. " _This_ one."

Under her clothes, she was wearing a bright purple, one-piece swimsuit. She threw her arms out to her sides and smiled wickedly. "Care for a swim?"

"Are you serious? You really want to go swimming with me?"

She walked over to me and kissed me. Then she slid out of her jeans and stood before me, wearing nothing but her new swimsuit.

"I do."

"Then let's do it."

"Do you like the suit?"

"I do. It looks really good on you."

"Do I still look...elegant?"  
"You always look elegant."

"What about when I crawl out of bed in the morning, in a t-shirt and underwear?"

"Still elegant."  
"What about when I'm just lounging in old jeans and a t-shirt?"

" _Thoroughly_ elegant. In fact, I think that's my favorite look of yours."

She laughed, then stepped back, and looked at herself in the mirror. "It's truly a wonderful feeling to discover something you needed without ever knowing you needed it in the first place."

"It _is_ a nice swimsuit."

She turned to me. "I was talking about you."

She teleported us to my place so I could change into my suit and then she whisked us away to the Coronado Springs resort, where we made a beeline for the pool. As we climbed into one of the hot tubs, we heard a loud splash. Looking in the direction of the sound, we saw Merida standing in the main pool, shaking out her hair. Then another loud splash, as Jasmine came down the slide and was deposited not far from her friend. Merida laughed and Jasmine started to get to her feet, but slipped landed on her bottom, which prompted her to laugh as well.

Maleficent giggled and slid over, closer to me. Under the water, she took hold of my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. We watched as Merida helped Jasmine stand, only to see the two of them splashed as Aladdin came in for a landing. It was then that Jasmine noticed us. She cupped a hand to her mouth, as if embarrassed and then waved.

"Hello!", she called. "Have you been there long?"  
"No", I said. "We just got here."

She laughed again. Aladdin and Merida had now seen us as well and they smiled and waved.

"Don't mind us", Maleficent said. "Have a good time. We're just here to relax."  
"Would you rather go somewhere else?" I asked her.

"No. This is fine. Even if they want to join us in here, it will be crowded, but it will be fine."  
She kicked a leg up and her toes broke the surface of the bubbling water. She looked at them and asked, "How long have you been here, Steven?"

"In Disneyworld? I don't know. A couple of months, I guess."  
"Almost four, actually."  
"That long? I guess I hadn't really been keeping track of time."  
She dropped her leg and looked at me. "No, I'm wrong. It's been almost four months since we met. But you had already been here a couple of weeks at that point, hadn't you?"  
I nodded. "Yes, that's right. Somehow it seems longer than that. I mean, it seems like we've known each other longer."  
She smiled. "It really does. Perhaps that's a sign that we belong together."  
"I'll take it as one."

She leaned in, touching her forehead to mine. We held that pose for a moment, then she turned and slid down a bit so that just her head was above the water. She stretched out her legs and, once more, her toes broke the surface. She closed her eyes.

"Let's stay right here. Until we have to sleep or eat. What do you think?"  
I took her hand. "It sounds good to me."

"And then tomorrow..."

"Yes?"  
"Tomorrow...we shall walk down Main Street, hand in hand, and I will not worry or care what anyone thinks."

"Not even yourself?"  
She looked up at me and giggled. "I have no need to worry when I'm with you."

Chapter Thirteen

I don't know why, but when I awoke the next morning, I was half afraid she'd changed her mind in the night. Instead, she was insistent that we get dressed and get going.

"Come on, we'll eat breakfast there."

"Alright", I said, pulling on my shoe.

The Kingdom was quiet as we set out on to Main Street, hand in hand.

"I'm not really all that hungry", she said. "How would you feel about just a danish or something like that?"  
"That's fine with me. Shall we stop at the bakery and then on to the fun?"  
She nodded and gave my hand a squeeze.

We sat at an outside table, enjoying our muffins and juice, when she narrowed her eyes at something behind me.

"Snow", she said.

"Isn't it kind of warm for snow?"

She looked at me as if I was an idiot. "Snow _White_ , silly. Headed this way."

"Well if it's Snow White, shouldn't you call me Dopey?"

She gave me one of her _I'm pretending that's not funny_ looks.

I turned to see Snow, decked out in athletic gear and jogging towards us, a smile on her face. Her stepmother was not far behind and dressed similarly.

"Hi, Steven", Snow said. "It's good to see you." Then she turned her attention to Maleficent. "Wow, M. It feels like en eternity since I've seen you. I'd hug you but I'm really sweaty."  
Maleficent smiled. "It's good to see you as well, Snow."

Her stepmother caught up to her and leaned on the back of an empty chair. She looked at me and beamed. This was the first time I'd laid eyes on her and I found myself thinking that the magic mirror was full of crap. Snow was beautiful, no question, but she couldn't hold a candle to her stepmother.

She put out her hand and I shook it.

"So glad to finally meet you, Steven. I'm Hildy."  
"Very happy to meet you. I've heard wonderful things about you from Maleficent."  
Maleficent stood and embraced her friend. Then, keeping a hand on Maleficent's shoulder, Hildy turned to face me. "I've known Maleficent since she first arrived in Disneyland. She is my oldest true friend and I cannot tell you how much it warms my heart to see her so in love."

"Stop it", Maleficent said. "You're embarrassing me."

"Oh, stop it yourself", Hildy said with a laugh. "Love is nothing to be embarrassed about. You find a treasure, you flaunt it."

Maleficent smiled. "Yes, I met Elsa the other day. Looks like we're both lucky."

Hildy giggled a little. "I know. She is amazing, isn't she? The two of you must have lunch or dinner or something with us sometime, won't you? I'm not taking no for an answer."  
"I'd love that", I said.

Maleficent nodded. "Yes. That would be nice."

Hildy kissed Maleficent on the cheek and patted my shoulder. "Well, we would love to stay and chat but we've got one more lap to go before breakfast."

"And the loser gets to cook it", Snow said with a grin and then took off running.

Hildy looked at Maleficent, gave a little shrug and said "Kids. What are you going to do?" Then she took off after Snow.

"That was nice", I said. "I'm glad I finally met her."

"She's a good person. She's always been very kind to me."

I took another bite of my food.

"Which ride shall we try first?" she asked.

"I don't know. Which ones have you not been on?"  
"Ha! Almost all of them."  
"How is that possible? You did _live_ here, right?"

"I've told you how it was. I kept to myself for the most part. It's not like I was spending my evenings spinning on the teacups."

"Alright, well, which ones _have_ you ridden?"

"Dumbo."  
"Just Dumbo?"

She grinned. "And the teacups."

"OK. Do we cross those off the list, then?"  
"I would ride them again. Especially with you. But I want to start with something I _haven't_ done."  
"How about the Haunted Mansion?"  
Her grin widened. "I was hoping you'd say that."

As we approached the door, it opened. Then Gracey leaned out and smiled.

"Steven! Well met, good fellow!" He bowed, then turned to Maleficent and kissed her hand. "We are most honored to welcome the Mistress of All Evil to our ghastly abode."

She smirked. "Are you always like this?"

He stood up straight and flashed her a grin. "You mean do I always suck up to a new visitor? Only when they are a legend such as yourself."

She laughed.

"Gracey, would it be alright if we experienced the ride just like the guests do?" I asked.

"Of course it would."  
"We'd be happy to take a second lap and chat with everyone after that."  
He bowed once more, then said "Just let me take my place. The doors to the stretching room will open momentarily."

Maleficent and I looked at each other. She smiled. I held out my hand, indicating that she should go first.

The ride was as much fun as ever and it was a joy to watch Maleficent react to all the effects and gags and when we entered Madame Leota's chamber, even though Leota stuck to the script, I could swear a look passed between them. As we exited the room, Maleficent leaned close to me and whispered "Alright, that was just a little weird."  
At the end of the ride, Gracey was waiting for us.

"Your conclusions, Miss Maleficent?"

"I heartily enjoyed it, Gracey. Thank you."

"Would you like me to make the introductions?"

"Yes, please do."

As we walked out of Liberty Square, she said to me "That conversation with Leota was interesting. Of course we look nothing alike but it's been an eternity since I spoke with someone who's voice was similar to mine."

"I think she found it as interesting as you did."

"You may be correct. Now, what shall we do next?"  
"Pirates?"

"Will Jack be there?"

"Most likely."

"Then let's leave that for later. From what I've heard of the man, it's too early for that kind of company."  
"OK. How do you feel about Big Thunder, then?"  
She smiled and put her arm around my waist. "Excited."

As we left the ride, after our second go-round, we ran into Mickey and Pluto.

"Steven, pal! How've you been?"

"Really good, Mickey", I said and scratched Pluto behind his ear.

Mickey kissed Maleficent's hand. "It's so good to see you again, Maleficent. I'm very happy you're joining us today."  
"Thank you, Mickey", she said and leaned down to kiss his cheek.

"Does the Jungle Cruise run, Mickey?" I asked. "With no characters, I figured maybe it didn't."

"No, not often. But it will be running today and precisely four o'clock."  
"Wow, really? OK then. We'll be there at four."  
"I think you'll be happy with what you find."

With a four o'clock deadline in place, we zig-zagged across the park. On Peter Pan's flight, she made sure to wave to Hook, who mimed "call me" in response.

As we rose our Dumbo elephant to maximum height, she said "It's not quite the same thing as flying for real", then pulled me closer and added, "but much more fun with you."  
She found It's A Small World a little dull but loved Space Mountain. I beat her on Space Ranger Spin the first time and she trounced me the second. On the Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh, our Hunny-Pot felt like it was going to capsize when Tigger bounced on the hood. She insisted on riding the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train three times. The dwarfs were progressively less scared of her and more into playing their parts each time.

We headed back to Adventureland about three-thirty, when I heard "Yoo-hoo, Steven!" I turned to find Redd, standing outside Pirates.

"Hi, Redd", I said with a friendly wave.

"You haven't forgotten about me, I mean us, have you?"  
"Nope. Just got an appointment to keep."  
As we passed out of earshot, Maleficent asked, "And who was that?"

"Redd. She's one of the pirates."

"And who is she to you, exactly?"  
"Well, she's...a pirate. We danced together once. Before I met you, I should add."

"I see..."

"She was just being friendly. You know I'm yours and yours alone."  
She pulled me closer and kissed my cheek. "I'm only messing with you, dearest."

Minnie was waiting for us at the entrance to the Jungle Cruise, dressed in safari attire. She gave us each of us a hug.

"Are you riding with us, Minnie?", Maleficent asked.

"Oh, no. I'm just making sure everyone who wants to board gets to the boat on time."  
"So, who is our skipper, exactly?", I asked.

"I'm dying to find out, myself", Flynn said from behind me.

We turned to see him standing with Rapunzel, Vanellope and Ralph. Rapunzel threw her arms around Maleficent, startling her a bit.

"I'm so glad that you and Steven are a couple!", she said. "He's such a good guy. Promise me you'll never break his heart!"

"Er...yes. I promise. Of course." She then gave Flynn a look that asked _is she always like this?_

He smiled and nodded.

Rapunzel stepped back and smiled. "And I know we're going to be great friends!"  
"I'm sure we will", Maleficent said, though she couldn't match Rapunzel's enthusiasm.

"Alright everyone, it's time", said Minnie. "All aboard, who's going aboard."

We filed our way along the queue to find the Amazon Annie waiting for us, with her skipper at the helm, Mickey himself.

"All aboard, pals! Everyone ready for adventure?"  
We climbed into the boat, Maleficent and I sitting in the back and Ralph getting in last and then having to move to the center to balance us out.

"Good thing the Hulk didn't want to come too", Flynn said.

About a minute into the ride, Maleficent whispered to me, "I heard that the jokes were bad but I didn't expect them to be this awful."

I patted her leg and said, "That's the point sweetheart. Dreadful puns are part of the charm. They're a Jungle Cruise tradition."  
By the time we'd gotten to the infamous back side of water, she was in the spirit of it and laughing with the rest of us.

As the Annie docked once more and we began to disembark, I hugged Mickey. "Thank you for doing that for us. It was very kind."

"Oh, think nothing of it. I love to play Skipper but the opportunity doesn't come up all that often."

"Well, you make a wonderful one", Rapunzel said and kissed him on the nose.

At six, we made our way to Be Our Guest. As we approached the doors, Maleficent squeezed my hand.

"Are you alright?", I asked. "Want to eat somewhere else? Somewhere more quiet?"

She stopped walking, turned and kissed me. "It will be alright. _I_ will be alright."

She smiled and I swear I could have stared in her eyes forever.

"I love you", she said.

"I love you, too."  
"And that's all that matters."

Once we were inside, Belle and Adam asked us to join them at their table.

"I love that blouse, Maleficent", Belle said. "That shade of brown looks really good on you."  
Maleficent blushed a little. "Thank you, Belle."  
"You both look good together", Adam said. "It's obvious that you belong together."

Dinner was a bit boisterous, but Maleficent handled it well. There was lots of laughter and music and people kept coming by to say hello, some of whom I hadn't even met before. Everyone wanted to tell Maleficent how happy they were to see her.

At one point, when my attention was directed elsewhere, she brushed my cheek with her fingers and asked, "What's got you smiling like that?"  
I nodded in the direction I had been looking. "Lady and the Tramp, literally eating spaghetti together. I've gotten so used to this place and then I see something like that and it reminds me just how amazing all of this is." I turned to her. "It's like if I was back in the outerworld and I had somehow met, I don't know, Rachel McAdams-"

"I have no idea who that is."  
"She's an actress. But if I had met her in a grocery store or wherever-"

"That sounds unlikely."

"Highly. But if it had happened and we had chatted and started dating and fell in love, I'm sure there would be times when I would catch myself thinking _holy hell, I just kissed Rachel McAdams_. That's kind of what it's like with you. You're the woman I love and...you're also a legend."

She kissed me. "Two things. One, I love you more than I will ever be able to express and two, if this McAdams person ever finds her way here, I am not letting the two of you get within sight of each other."

I laughed. "She's on the disavowed list with Redd, is that it?"

Maleficent giggled. "Exactly."

"Don't worry. They're both very pretty but neither of them are _you_."

As dinner wound down, Rapunzel insisted on Flynn taking a picture of her with Belle and Maleficent. More hugs followed and then we headed out into Fantasyland.

"Anything else you want to do here?", I asked.

"I'm certain there is. But not tonight. Tonight is a night for a movie and cuddling."  
I giggled.

"What?"  
"You charm the daylights out of me, you know that? And every so often I think of the Maleficent of Sleeping Beauty and how unlike her you are and it just makes me smile. The idea of _that_ Maleficent saying the word 'cuddling', for instance."

She folded her arms. "Would you prefer it if I was scary and sadistic?"

"Not in the slightest."

"Good. Because I have no desire to be. Do you know what the only thing I wish to be is?"  
"What's that?"

"Yours."  
I wrapped my arms around her, burying my face in her neck. "You are and I'm yours."  
She waved her hand and, in a flash of fire, we standing in my living room.

She dropped her bag on the sofa, kicked off her shoes and shook her hair out. "You go get the movie and I'll get the popcorn."

As we turned out the lights that night, she said, "I have two thoughts. One, the little bears were a bit on the tiresome side and two, if anyone ever tried to make me wear that golden underwear thing, I would strangle them as well."

"So you're saying you won't wear it for me, then?"  
"You're forgetting I already know your fashion-related weakness. Jeans and t-shirts, remember?"

"I love you."  
"I love you, too. Goodnight."

Chapter Fourteen

We did eventually watch the rest of the Star Wars movies, minus the prequels. After The Force Awakens, Maleficent said she just might slap Ben Solo the next time she laid eyes on him. Her strongest opinions about The Last Jedi were that people should always listen to Leia and that the porgs were somewhat charming.

During Rogue One, when Tarkin appeared on screen, she was shocked.

"What is wrong with that man? He looks, well...just _wrong_."

"He's animated. Peter Cushing had been dead for about twenty years when they made this one so they used computer animation to put him in this film."

"Well they shouldn't have! He looks like he belongs in Toy Story! That's just fine in a Pixar film but the idea of an animated character walking around with real people is...alright, I realize how stupid and ironic that sounds."

I tried not to, but I couldn't help but burst out laughing.

She pounced on me, said "Think that's funny, do you?" and started furiously tickling me.

And I wouldn't have had it any other way.

Life was good. I was the happiest I could ever remember being.

We didn't move in together but I don't remember a morning passing where we didn't wake up in the same bed. I was enchanted by her castle and she loved my house so there was no need to consolidate.

We settled into a happy routine. Monday afternoons I would spend working on magic with Rapunzel, while she had drinks with Cru, Hildy and Elsa.

Wednesdays we would have lunch with Leia and whichever of the Star Wars gang were around and wanted to join in.

Thursday she spent with the princesses while I read or went for a swim or whatever struck my fancy.

Friday nights we would gather with the Muppets and sometimes she would put on a private fireworks show for them. She would always laugh at Fozzie's jokes and we ducked the occasional boomerang fish.

Sundays were Animal Kingdom days. At first we just thought we'd have a picnic there but we ran into Carl, Russell and Dug and they became our constant Animal Kingdom companions. Russell deemed us honorary Wilderness Explorers.

We ate dinner at Be Our Guest every Saturday night, as well as any other night when it felt like a good idea.

Tuesdays were our days to just be together. Even if we did nothing more than lay around talking and watching movies, we kept Tuesdays to ourselves.

One morning, several months later, Diablo hopped on to her kitchen table with an envelope in his beak.

"What is it?", I asked as she read the note within.

"An invitation from Mickey. We are requested to come to Be Our Guest tonight at six."

"I wonder what the occasion is."

She drummed her fingers on the table. "I think I may have an idea."

"Yes?"  
"I'd rather not say. There's a chance I might be wrong."

At ten to six, we entered the restaurant, to find it a little more populated than usual.

"I guess everyone else got the same notice", I said.

Characters from all over were there. Princes and Princesses, heroes and villains, animals, Star Wars and Muppets. Even Stephen Strange and Steve Rogers.

As the clock struck six, Mickey tapped his glass. "Attention, everybody! Hello! Thank you all for coming." He looked to me and smiled. "Steven, would you come over here, please?"  
"Sure." I got up and walked over to him.

"You've been here a year now, Steven. Did you know that?"  
"Wow. Really? I guess I just haven't been thinking about it." I looked at Maleficent. She was smiling knowingly. She knew very well how long I'd been around.

"Now, it's true that you didn't spring from a ride or a film but, as far as we are all concerned, you're part of the family."

"Thank you, Mickey. That means so much to me."  
"And you have been so good to our dear sister, Maleficent."

I looked to her again. She appeared to be holding back a tear. A happy tear, I hoped.

"Now, with that in mind", Mickey continued, "I have something I would like to give you."

He pulled a magic wand from his jacket and waved it in my direction. "It is my great honor to bestow upon you an honorary title. From now on, should you wish, you may be known as _Prince_ Steven."

Everybody started cheering and applauding. You could have knocked me over with a feather. Mickey shook my hand, then whispered something to me and I went running to Maleficent's side. She threw her arms around me and kissed me several times.

"And now", Mickey said, "let's eat!"

Maleficent and I sat with Tina, Naveen, Adam, Belle, Joy and Nessa. All through the meal, people kept coming over to congratulate me. I felt a little awkward about it. Mickey had done something for me, after all. I hadn't really achieved anything. I kept asking people to just call me Steven. No 'prince' was necessary.

When Rapunzel and Flynn stopped by, she gave us both hugs. Then he said "A thing occurs to me. If you two ever get married...", he looked to Maleficent, "you will be a Disney princess."

Rapunzel squealed with joy and started shaking me by the shoulders.

"You have to get married! You simply have to! It will be amazing!"

"Eugene, calm your lady, please", Belle said with a nervous smile.

"We're not getting married, Rapunzel", Maleficent said. "Sorry, but no. The way things are is just perfect."

"You don't need to get married", Tiana said, putting her hand on Maleficent's shoulder. "We already think of you as a princess anyway."

After the tables were cleared away, there was music and dancing. We swayed our way through several songs. As a lovely, instrumental version of Beauty and the Beast played, Maleficent smiled and said, "Such a pretty song."  
"I've always loved it."  
"I was thinking as much as it was written for Belle and Adam, it also fits us."  
"As long as I'm the beast."  
"But _I'm_ the villain."

"Yes, but you're also beautiful. I'm the one who needs to lose about ten pounds and who's hair is thinning."  
She ran her fingers through my hair. "I don't know where you get your self image from. Your hair is _not_ thinning. You're the most handsome man I've ever known. And I happen to be surrounded by a variety of Prince Charmings, I'll have you know."  
"As long as you are happy with me, that's all I need."  
"Then you have have to want for anything."  
We kissed.

"There is another thing, though. Something on my mind."  
"What's that?", I asked.

"Well, I was thinking that, if you ever ask me, the answer will be yes."

"If I ask you...to marry me?"

She nodded.

"Does that mean you _do_ want to get married?"

"Not really, no. Or, let me put it another way. I don't care if we ever get married. We could stay just as we are till the end of time and I'd be perfectly happy. All I am saying is that, if you ever ask me to marry you, the answer will be yes."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

"And that's all that matters."  
"Absolutely."

Chapter Fifteen

A few days after my 'coronation', we were spending the morning roaming through the Magic Kingdom. Just making a lazy day of it.

The portrait gallery was beginning to stretch when she asked "Did you have a Disney crush in the outerworld?"

"Are you asking if I ever had a crush on a fictional character?"  
"I'm asking did you ever find yourself thinking that, if a Disney character were real, you would find it easy to fall in love with her?"

"I don't think so. Not that I remember."

"Not Belle? Or Aurora? Certainly not me?"

"I always thought you were beautiful-"  
"Elegant."

"Elegant and beautiful. But scary, too."  
"Oh, I can still be scary, darling", she said with a dark grin. "You just haven't seen it."

I laughed. "You can keep that side private. Please don't be scary."

She wrapped her arms around my neck. "Never to you, darling." Then she kissed me.

I suddenly felt weak and almost fell. I slumped against the wall.

"What's wrong? Steven, what's the matter?" She crouched down beside me and took my hands.  
"I don't know. I don't feel well. Dizzy, maybe."  
"You should have had a real breakfast instead of just that croissant."

"You're probably right."

She touched my face and smiled reassuringly. "We'll get a big lunch once we're out of here, OK?"

"OK."

Chapter One

"STOP!" I screamed it with all the power in my lungs. "STOP THIS THING AT ONCE!"

Everything ground to a halt. No movement. No music. Just silence and the sound of my franticly beating heart.

"Where is he?!"

Steven wasn't beside me. I was the only rider in the doom buggy.

"Gracey? Get down here _now_!"

He came running in, followed by Constance.

"I don't know what's happened, Maleficent", he said. "I don't understand it."  
"He just vanished", said a singing bust.

"There and then not", said the one beside it.

I looked at their scared and stupid faces. I felt fear and anger as I had never before.

I teleported out.

I stood in the middle of Main Street.

"MICKEY! I WANT TO SEE YOU, NOW!"

From the corner of my vision, I saw a couple of people scatter. I don't know who.

"I'm right here, Maleficent."

I spun round to find him standing behind me. He was obviously nervous. I fed on his fear and took a step towards him.

"Where is he, Mickey? Tell me!"

"He's not here, Maleficent."

"I can see that. Where is he?!"

"He's gone."

I refused to believe that. "Gone? No. No, he is not gone."

Mickey held out a shaky hand in the direction of the chamber of commerce. "Can we go inside, please?"

I didn't wait for him. I stormed in ahead. He closed the door behind us.

"Would you please have a seat?"

"I'm not here to chat. I'm here for answers."  
He slid into his chair and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Maleficent. I truly am. But Steven is gone."

"Get him back! I don't care what you have to do to achieve it, but bring him back!"

"Maleficent, you're scaring me."

"I don't care. Bring me Steven. Now."

"I can't. He's gone from here. He's...awake."

That shook me to my core. Anger and fear had been raging inside me but now fear was winning.

"What do you mean 'awake'"?

"In the outerworld, he was dreaming. He woke up. He's gone."

I collapsed into the chair behind me. I don't know how long I sat there, stunned and defeated. Eventually the word escaped my lips. "Dreaming."

Mickey nodded.

"It couldn't have been a dream. He was here over a _year_ , Mickey. No one sleeps for a year."

"A year in our time. Not his. Time doesn't move the same in both worlds."

"He was real! An hour ago, he was in my arms."  
Mickey sighed. "It's happened before."

"What has?"

"Well, people in the outerworld feel a connection to us, to their version of this place. Sometimes the connection is so strong they can literally dream their way in. They're here for an hour or two. A day at most. Then they wake up."

The fire had gone out of me. I was left with nothing but hopelessness. "It's happened before?"

He nodded.

"So, everyone knew but me. I see. Everyone else knew he was just dreaming and that he wouldn't stay. They were all laughing at me, weren't they? Laughing behind my back while saying how happy they were for us. _That silly fairy, thinking someone loves her_."

"No, Maleficent. It was nothing like that. Most of us have never even seen a dreamer before. I promise you that no one thought that. You're not the only one who's going to be shocked by this. No one was laughing at you. We were all happy for the two of you, myself included. After a few weeks, I didn't even want to believe he was dreaming. I hoped he was...permanent."

"How can we get him back?"

"We can't."

"Don't give me that. You're the bloody sorcerer's apprentice. You can do anything."  
"I have no power in his world. I wish I did."

I let the tears come. I couldn't be bothered to wipe them away.

"You know", he said, "he might come back one day."  
"Ha! So I'll just wait for him to have the same dream, shall I? Maybe I'll have him back for a few hours one day. Wouldn't that just be exciting!"

I stood.

"I wish there was something I could do. Truly, I do."  
"If that is all you can tell me, Mickey, then this is the end of it. Don't expect to see me again."

I waved my arm and vanished.

I stood in Steven's bedroom. His things were still there. His clothes and books, videos and cards. I picked up his little jukebox and stuffed it in my pocket. I picked up the shirt he had worn the day before and held it to my face, trying to catch some scent of his. Of course there was none. Clothes are clean the moment you take them off. That's Disney magic for you.

I went downstairs and stepped out on the back porch. I thought of all the times we sat there, enjoying the quiet of the evening.

I knew she was there without looking.

"I'm so sorry, M. I just heard."

I took a deep breath. "So the word is out, then, is it? I see..."

She stepped on to the porch. I was afraid she might try to hug me. I wasn't ready for that. I wasn't sure if it would make me angry or make me cry. I just knew I didn't want it.

I turned to face her.

"Why didn't you tell me, Cru?"

She looked pale. "I didn't know. I'd heard rumors about dreamers but I didn't think he was one. Mickey wouldn't give a dreamer a permanent home, surely. I stopped thinking he might be one ages ago. I just looked at him as...one of us."  
"But he wasn't, was he?"

"I hate that he's gone, M. I truly do. He was my friend. I know I won't miss him the same way you will, but I will miss him."

I started to turn and she embraced me. I wanted to fight it, but didn't. Instead I just cried.

When I got back to my castle, there were flowers at the gate, with a note attached. _I'm so sorry. If you need anything at all, I'm here. Belle._

I lay on my bed, listening to Steven's list of favorite songs. I was wearing one of Steven's shirts that he had left in my bedchamber. A loud song started. I didn't like it. I looked at the display. Motorhead. A disgusting name. I went to skip it but decided no, it meant something to him, let it play. Songs came and went. Some I liked and some I didn't. Some reminded me of him in direct ways that made me smile or giggle but then his absence would become too profound and I would start crying again.

I rolled over, my face to the window. The sun was setting. Our first meeting clear in my mind. A new song started. A piano and a man's voice. The lyrics hit me.

 _You looked at me and I looked at you_

 _The sleeping heart was shining through_

 _The wispy cobwebs that we're breathing through_

 _The power of your heart_

I looked at the display. Peter Gabriel. I did not know the name. I couldn't recall Steven mentioning him. The song was beautiful. I began to cry again.

 _I think I'm dumb, I know you're smart_

 _The beating of a purebred heart_

 _I say this to you and it's no lark_

 _Marry me today_

 _You know me, I like to dream a lot_

 _Of what there is and what there's not_

 _But mostly, I dream of you a lot_

 _The power of your heart_

For the first time in my life, I fell asleep crying.

I woke to the sound of something at my window, like the beating of small wings. Bleary-eyed, I sat up and switched on the light. Someone was seated on my window-sill. Someone small.

"Figment? What are you doing there?"

He sniffled. I got up from the bed and went to the window. I laid my hand on his head.

"He's gone, isn't he?"

"Yes, Figment. He's gone."

"He was nice to me. I miss him."  
"He liked you, Figment."

He looked up at me. "You love him, don't you?"  
"Oh, Figment. I love him more than I can say. He changed my world for the better."

"Are you going to visit him?"

The question stunned me. "Well, I would if I could. Of course I would."  
"So you're going through the passage?"  
" _What_ passage, Figment? What are you talking about?"

"The passage to the outerworld."

He looked as confused as I felt.

"Aren't you going to go?"

I leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. "Sweet Figment, I don't know what I'm going to do just yet."

He nodded. "You should go home and get some sleep", I told him. "I think we both need some sleep."

He nuzzled his head against my arm for a moment and then flew away.

I stood there for a moment, staring into the cloudless night, Steven's shirt snug to my skin, the stone floor cool to my feet.

 _So there is a passage._

Chapter Two

The next morning, when Mickey came out of his house, the cottage he shares with Minnie and Pluto, hidden away behind Fantasyland, he was greeted by the sight of me as he may have hoped to never encounter me again. I was in full villain regalia. Robe and heels, horns wrapped, staff in one hand and Diablo on my shoulder.

"I want a word with you, _mouse_."

If I had felt truly evil, the shock on his face would have been delicious. The truth is I was terrified and only wanted him to know that I was not in the mood for any obfuscation or doubletalk.

He took a step back. "Um...not here, if you please, Maleficent. Minnie is still asleep."

"Your office, then. Ten minutes."

"Yes, yes. I'll see you there."

"Come alone and come with answers."

True to his word, ten minutes later Mickey walked into his Main Street office. I was already seated in his chair. Diablo strutted back and forth across his desk. Mickey sat in the chair opposite the desk.

"So", I said, "there is a passage to the outerworld."

He nodded. "Yes, there is. But it isn't for you."

"I think I'll take that as just your opinion. Tell me how the passage works."

"Maleficent, the passage has only one function. It's for characters who are dying."

I scoffed. "No one dies here, Mickey. We don't age and we don't die. It simply isn't possible."  
"It is if you're forgotten."

"Are you telling me that if all the rest of us agreed to ignore, I don't know, Cinderella, she would die?"

"No, that's not what I'm saying. Maleficent, have you ever thought about why we're here? Not how we got here but how we _stay_?"

"We stay because we are eternal. That's obvious."

"It's not that simple. We stay because the people in Steven's world are thinking about us. They did come first, after all. And we are a part of their lives. That's what keeps you and I and Goofy and Ariel alive here. As long as they're out there, watching the movies, riding the rides, wearing the pajamas, whatever, we remain."

"Are you trying to tell me that my existence is the product of some collective imagination?"  
"No, no. That's not it. Look at it this way, when Walt opened Disneyland in the outerworld, the one that you and I know came into being. I don't know why. I've just always assumed that he was responsible somehow. Anyway, when it came into being all the characters that pre-dated it were there. That was in nineteen fifty-five, outerworld time. Four years later, Sleeping Beauty opened and you and Aurora and Philip and the fairies joined us. Every time a new character is introduced out there, they join us here. It's pretty much the same with characters that come from rides and attractions. But when a character doesn't linger in the minds of the outerworlders, or enough of them anyway, then they start to fade. When was the last time you saw Dinky? Or Eilonwy? They were among us for a while and then gone. The very first time a character started to fade, it was too sad for me to take so I used my magic to create the passage. They can go through the passage and emerge in the outerworld, in human form. They live as a human with a mortal life. By no means a perfect solution, but it's the best I could offer."

"And they can't come back?"  
"If they did, they would vanish."  
"Alright. Let's say that I believe you. I haven't been forgotten. Therefore, I could go through the passage and come back and be safe both ways."

"There's a very good reason why you shouldn't do that."  
"You said 'shouldn't', not 'couldn't'."

He sighed. "Maleficent, you have no idea where Steven is in the outerworld. He could be anywhere on the planet. Not only that, but the Steven you met is how he sees himself in his dreams. The real one could be younger or older. Maleficent, he could even be married. Maybe Steven isn't even his name."

"I don't care."

"Of course you do."  
"No. I have to know. If he turns out to be married or ninety-three or just a terrible person, then at least I will know. But until I can say for a fact that he is nothing like the man I love, I will take any opportunity to find him."

"But if you _did_ find him and you were happy with what you found, you couldn't bring him back here."

"Why not?"

"Because he was only ever here in a dream. The real Steven couldn't come through the passage, or even be able to see it."  
I smoothed a fold of my robe with my hand but did not take my eyes off of him. I hated to think it, but what he was saying made sense. Still, I was resolute that I would not let him know that.

"I still intend to try. No argument will change my mind. Now tell me where the passage is."  
He took a deep breath and let it out. Then he gave a resigned nod. "Alright. I will tell you but not today. Tomorrow."

"Now."

"No. I need time to prepare and you need time to think about this decision. I mean to really think about it. Sleep on it, please. I will come to your castle at eight, tomorrow morning, and if you are still sure you want to go through with this, then I will open the passage for you."  
"If you are not there at eight-"

He held up a hand. "I will be. I give you my word. But before you go, there is one thing I'm going to need from you."

I went home, changed into more comfortable clothes, made a phone call and had a glass of wine or two while I waited for her to arrive. A half hour later, Hildy walked in and wrapped her arms around me, holding me tight.

"My poor, sweet girl. I am so sorry. You don't deserve this. No one does. He was a good man and I know how happy he made you. Honestly, Maleficent, you should have called me yesterday. I would have come right away."

"Thank you. That's not why I called, though. I need your advice."

"Advice on what?"  
I poured her a glass of wine, and another for myself, and we sat together on my sofa.

"There's a chance that I can find him."

"What? How is that possible?"

"I can't tell you that. I promised that I wouldn't."

She nodded. "Magic and it's rules. Right."

"Exactly. What I need to ask you is, if you were in my position, would you do it? Given that I might not find him, or might not like what I find, or not be able to bring him back, would you still take the chance?"

She sipped her wine and and chewed on her lip for a moment. Then she straightened her back and looked me in the eye. "M, if anyone tried to take Elsa from me, they would think what they saw in that film was me on a good day."

I had to smile.

"Did I ever tell you that it took her several days to find the courage to touch me with her bare hand? It took her that long both to trust herself that she would not hurt me and to trust that I could be immune from her power. All that time I was dying to pull her close and kiss her. And more than that, as I'm sure you can imagine. But I waited. I waited for her because I knew that she was worth it. You make sacrifices for the ones you love. Big and small, you make them. I imagine that whatever this chance is you are being offered, a sacrifice is required. All I can tell you is, if I lost Elsa, I'd give anything to have her back."

"She's good for you. I know you're good for her as well."  
"My point is that I know you feel about Steven the way I feel about Elsa. You're truly in love and I know that you will let nothing stand in the way of your love."

"Thank you, Hil. You've helped me. I'm going to take my chance."  
She smiled and put her hand to my cheek. "My sweet girl, I knew you were as soon as you told me that you even had the option. You didn't really ask me here to help you choose. You needed to hear me tell you that I would do the same."

"You gave me the extra shot of courage I needed. You have always been my greatest friend. Thank you."  
She set her glass down on the table. "I would do anything for you, M. Now, I'll go if you want me to or if you want to be alone. I'd be happy to stay a while, though. Despite the sadness of the situation, I am very happy to spend some time with you."  
"Yes, please. Stay a while. I'd like that."

After a meal together and some slightly happier conversation, Hildy said her goodbyes and left. Then I spent the the rest of the day fritting about the castle, going through what possessions of Steven's were around, trying to feel some sense of his presence besides what was in my memory. I ate little and slept less. It was almost two in the morning when I finally drifted off.

Diablo woke me with a cry at seven-thirty. He knew I wanted to be dressed and ready before Mickey's arrival.

True to his word, Mickey arrived right at eight. He was wearing his sorcerer's robe and hat.

"Well, what did you decide?"

"I'm going to find Steven."  
He looked me over, in my jeans, sneakers and Epcot t-shirt.

"Well, you're certainly dressed for it."

We walked towards the Chinese Theater building that had been the Great Movie Ride.

"There's a new ride going in here in the outerworld", he said.

"I know."  
"But it won't be coming here."  
"Why not?"

"Well, for one reason, it's a ride based around Minnie and myself. Neither of us really care about that. But the real reason is, this is where the passage is."  
"It was hidden in the Great Movie Ride all this time?"  
"Originally it was in It's A Small World in Disneyland. Then I closed that one and reconfigured it here, in the Fantasia scene. You remember that scene, yes?"

"I never actually rode the thing."

"Really? Oh. Well, there was a scene from Fantasia. Just a projection on a wall, really. It was supposed to be part of the Wizard of Oz sequence-"

"Could this story be a little shorter, perhaps?"

"Right. Anyway, that wall is now all that's left of the Great Movie Ride. It remains standing in the outerworld as well. I had people out there take care of that for me."

"I thought you said you had no power in the outerworld."  
"I don't but I can have a little influence from time to time."  
"I'll bring you a dictionary from the other side. You may find it illuminating."

He opened the door to the theater. "There's no need to be nasty, Maleficent."  
"I'm not nasty, Mickey. I'm anxious. It doesn't bring out the best in me."

As he had said, the enormous building was empty, save for one free-standing wall. There were no markings on the wall of any kind. It was just a blank, dark brown wall.

"When you go through, you will be in Disneyland. Outerworld Disneyland. It's going to be far more crowded and noisy than you're used to. I've arranged for someone to meet you. Don't bother looking. You will probably be a dead giveaway."  
"I'm sure I can handle myself."

"You also won't look like yourself out there. You'll look like one of them."  
"I'm prepared, Mickey."

He looked at me for a moment, then nodded and said "Alright."

He waved his hands towards the wall and it began to ripple. Then the ripple spread and revealed an opening in the center. Nothing was visible through the opening, only darkness.

"That's your cue", he said. "Go ahead."  
For the first time since I'd heard of this idea, I was afraid. Afraid but not hesitant.

I took a deep breath and stepped into the darkness.

Chapter Three

I was in a public bathroom.

I was in a stall, seated on a toilet. I looked down. My jeans. My sandals with my feet in them, though they were no longer green.

I stood up. I wasn't dizzy. Good. I could move. I pushed open the door.

Ahead of me was a bank of mirrors above a row of sinks. I caught sight of my reflection and gasped. I stepped closer to the mirror to get a better look. My skin was the same pigment as Steven's. No more shade above my eyes. No more blood red lips. No more horns. I did still look like myself, just...different.

Another stall opened and a woman stepped out. She was older than Steven and, for that matter, older than I appeared to be. As she washed her hands, she noticed me examining my reflection and said "Oh, honey, you look fine. Don't worry about it."

She left the bathroom and, after a second, I did the same.

Once I opened the door, the noise was overwhelming. I had never heard so many people speaking at one time and so few of them at a polite volume. So much chatter and music and just plain _sound_. I was afraid I might pass out from the flood of it all.

A hand took hold of my arm. I looked to find a woman, obviously an cast member, with a concerned smile on her face. She wore a name-tag that read "Eileen".

"It's alright", she said. "I'm here to help."

We emerged from what I found was the Space Mountain rest area, into the harsh sunlight. More noise and more people.

"This is too much", I said. _Even my voice sounds different,_ I thought. _I'm not sure how I feel about that_.

"Don't worry, Maleficent", Eileen said in a whisper. "Once we're out of the park, it will be better. It's a good thing you didn't come through on the weekend. This place is really crazy then."

"You know me?"

She smiled. "We've never actually met before but we were pretty much neighbors at one time."

"I'm sorry. I don't recognize you."

"Well, I looked a good deal younger then."  
"Who are you?"  
"I can't tell you here. All I'll say is.." She looked around, as if wondering if we were drawing attention. "All I'll say is I used to be a princess." She winked at me, took me by the arm and we started to walk towards Main Street.

Even though she was leading me, I kept bumping into people, almost being hit by balloons and toys. So many people were looking at their stupid little phones instead of where they were going it was a wonder they weren't all tripping over each other. A stroller hit me in the back of my ankle and I stumbled but did not fall. To anyone else I must have seemed feeble.

"Don't worry", Eileen said and put a hand on my back. "I've got you."  
She led me through the exit and out into the plaza that separates Disneyland from California Adventure.

"Are you hungry? Thirsty? We can stop for food if you like. Your escorts can wait."  
"No, I'm alright. Aren't you my escort?"

"No. I'm just supposed to get you to the car. They'll take it from there."  
"How much further, then?"

"Just to the end of Downtown Disney. They will meet us by the hotel."

She pulled a badge from her pocket and pinned it to my shirt.

"What's this?"

"It makes you a VIP."  
"Alright. What's that?"

"Very important person. Which you are, of course. But the reason for it is it means we get to skip going though security. If we're not stopping for food, the sooner I get you to the car, the better."  
"If you say so."

We bypassed people having their purses and backpacks examined and entered Downtown Disney. Barely twenty feet in, we were joined by a skinny young man with black hair.

"I thought you were going to wait in the car", Eileen said.

"Dean won't stop talking about how excited he is. Besides, I figured two hands were better than one." He looked at me and smiled broadly. "Wow, you sure look different. Nice, but different."  
"We've met before?"  
"A _long_ time ago." He put out his hand. "I'm Mort."

We were almost all the way through Downtown Disney. The Disneyland Hotel loomed before us. I'd been rolling these two people around in my head and suddenly it clicked. I stopped walking and grabbed Mort by his arm.

"You're Morty Mouse!"

"Not so loud, please.", Eileen said.

Mort laughed. "You think someone's going to believe her?" Then he turned to me. "Technically correct, though it's just Mort now."

"Your brother, Ferdy, is he here too?"  
"In the outerworld? Yes. But not here. He lives on the east coast. Although, right now, he's actually in Japan."

I looked to Eileen. "And you're...I'm sorry. I can't place you."  
"It doesn't matter", she said. "Come on, Dean's waiting."

There was a white car at the parked at the curb. A somewhat rotund man with a white beard got out of the driver's seat and came around to shake my hand. He was positively beaming with joy.

"I know you won't remember me, but we met once or twice before. Of course neither of us look the way we did then. Still, wow. It's so exciting to see you again."

Mort attempted an introduction. "Dean, Mal-. I'm going to call you Melissa. Is that OK? I figure it sounds close enough, right? Dean, Melissa. Melissa, Dean."

"You three need to get moving", Eileen said. "And I need to get back to work."  
She gave me a brief hug and whispered in my ear. "I don't know what you're looking for but I hope you find it."

This was my first ride in a car. When you can magically teleport yourself, even a bicycle is unnecessary but at least I had ridden one before. A car was a whole other thing entirely. For a moment or two, I felt positively claustrophobic. Then I let the fact that I could do nothing about it wash over me and I tried my best to just settle in and accept the experience.

"What kind of music do you like, Melissa?"  
"Well...I like Leonard Cohen. Oh, and Queen."  
"Good choices. Who else?"

"I don't really know. I don't like Ramones."

"So it's going to be a soft rock road trip. Great", Mort said from the backseat.

"Queen is hardly soft rock", Dean said. "Anyone else?"

"Peter Gabriel."  
"Excellent! I love Gabriel." He switched on the radio and fiddled with it a bit until he found what he wanted. A pleasant enough sounding song, but one I did not recognize.

"Is this Peter Gabriel?" I asked.

"Mercy Street. You don't know this one?"  
I smiled meekly. "I'm sorry. The only one I really know is The Power of the Heart."  
"Wow. That's an esoteric choice! And you know what? Peter didn't even write that one."  
"He didn't?"

"Nope. It's a Lou Reed song. If I recall correctly, Reed wrote it as his marriage proposal to Laurie Anderson."  
Mort lay down and said "This episode of Behind the Music is brought to you by the nap I'm going to take until we get to a restaurant."  
"Don't worry about Mort. He can be a bit grumbly but he's really a sweet guy."  
"If he's Morty Mouse...who are you?"

Dean laughed. "Oh, just think about it. I'm sure you can _imagine_ the answer."

Of course! "You're Dreamfinder! I can't believe it!"  
He laughed again. "Believe it, my dear. Dreamfinder in the flesh. Of course it's just Dean now."

"May I ask you a question? It's a rather personal one."  
"You may ask me anything."  
"Do you...that is, do you mind getting older?"

"Well...it kind of bothered me at first but then, once I accepted there was nothing I could about it, I just let it wash right over me. I won't live forever, no, but it's better than not living at all. Being mortal makes you appreciate every bit of the life that you have."

"Mort must have been out here longer than you have, yes?"

"Oh, yes."

"Then why does he look younger?"  
Dean looked over his shoulder to see if Mort was asleep before answering. "We don't talk about it but my guess is that with Mort and Ferd, they get to go on like they would have if they'd stayed on the other side. Possibly because they're related to the big man and possibly because he needs them out here. The rest of us have jobs with the Disney company, but we're not as essential to matters on the other side."  
"What do you do? For Disney?"  
"Graphic design."

"That's interesting."

He nodded. "I like it. It's creative. That makes me happy."  
"Figment misses you. He mentions you often."  
Dean nodded but said nothing for a moment.

"Yeah, I miss him too. He could be a pain in the butt in some ways, but we were a team. Now, if you don't mind, I have an important question for you?"  
"Alright."  
"What do you want for lunch?"  
"Oh, I don't know. Pizza?"  
He smiled. "Then pizza it shall be!"

A while later, we stopped for lunch. While we ate our pizza and drank our soda, neither of which was as good as Via Napoli but I was not going to complain, we discussed what our first move should be.

"So, the only thing you know is his first name", Mort said, "and that might not even be accurate."

"Yes", I said, feeling a bit sheepish.

"Do you have a photograph of him?"  
"No. Sadly, I don't."

"Even if she did", Dean added, "he might not look that way out here."

"Fair enough", said Mort.

"Don't worry, Melissa. I think I can get us on the right track. They didn't call me Dreamfinder for nothing."

"You think you know where he is?"

"No, but I think you can help me."

"Dean, if I knew where he was, we'd be on the way now."

"That's not what I mean. You don't need to know his address or anything, as long as you're connected to him. And you wouldn't be out here, if you weren't."

"How does that lead us anywhere?"  
"Give me your hand."  
I put my right hand out and he took it in both of his.

"Good. Now close your eyes and think of nothing but Steven."

I did as he asked. For a few moments, I sat there, eyes closed, thinking of Steven's face. His voice. His presence.

"Alright", Dean said and let go of my hand.

I opened my eyes. "You know where he is?"

"No. It's not that specific. But I know where we should be heading. The bad news is he's not in California. The good news is I feel that he's in Nevada and that's not too far away."

"Vegas?", Mort asked.

"I don't know yet. The closer we get, the clearer it will become." He looked at me. "As long as you don't let him stray too far from your thoughts."

"He never does."

Dean smiled. "Good. Then we shall finish our meal and get back on the road."  
"And I'm going to take another nap", Mort said. "You two can discuss the finer points of Peter Gabriel's career without my input."  
"Just be happy it's not Phil Collins", Dean said.

"I have no idea who that is", I said.

Mort picked up another slice of pizza and said "Lucky you."

Chapter Four

I watched the landscape with rapt attention. Mountains and empty spaces. Small towns and larger cities. So many other cars. I saw billboards advertising Disneyland and cars with Mickey-shaped things stuck to their antennas and window stickers of Tinkerbell and Stitch, Darth Vader and Captain America's shield. We truly were a presence in the outerworld. Much more, I suspected, than many of us ever knew.

Once we crossed the border into Nevada, we pulled off at a rest stop. Dean asked for my hand again. I gave it to him and a moment later he shook his head and said "Nope. It's not Vegas. It's north of here. I'm calling it for Reno."  
"Any chance we can stop at the Paris buffet on the way?", Mort asked.

"We need to make tracks. We can do that on the way back."  
"Fine, whatever. I'm sure the Arby's at the El Dorado is every bit as nice."

"Sarcasm doesn't always suit you, Mort."  
"I don't know. It sure feels comfortable to me."

Several hours later we entered Reno. As we drove down Virigina Street, I wasn't impressed with what I saw. Everything looked desperate for attention and overdone.

"He's close", Dean said.

He cautiously took several turns until we were away from the heart of the city and into a quieter area. A few drivers honked their horns and pulled around us but Dean showed no sign of concern. Eventually he pulled into a parking lot that serviced two restaurants and a store named Media Maze.

"That's it.", Dean said, pointing to the store. "He's in there."  
"He could just be shopping there", Mort said. "Maybe he just needed a used copy of Norbit."  
"First off, no one needs a copy of Norbit, used or otherwise. Second, the feeling's too strong. This is a place he spends a lot of time. He works there, I'd bet money on it."  
"Alright", I said. "I'll go in and find him."

Mort put a hand on my shoulder. "Not tonight, you won't."

"Why not?"

"Because we've all been in this car for far too long. We all need showers, new clothes and to sleep in real beds. You want to look your best when you see him, right? Then you should wait till tomorrow."  
I had to agree, he had a point. "Alright."  
"Which reminds me, when you drop your clothes on the floor tonight? They're still going to be there in the morning and they're still going to be dirty."

"Yes", Dean said, "we're going to need to pick up a few things."

Dean got us two rooms at a hotel a couple of blocks away. One for me and the other for the two of them. That taken care of, Mort and I walked to the store across the street. I picked out some more jeans, a couple of shirts, some underwear, a pair of rather pretty shoes and some toiletries. Mort paid for all of it with a Disney credit card and I watched the transaction with rapt attention.

The three of us ate dinner in the cafe next to the hotel and then retired to our rooms. I took a long, hot bath and fell asleep soon after. If I dreamed, I did not remember it.

In the morning, we returned to the cafe for breakfast. During his second helping of waffles, Dean suddenly looked quite intent.

"Got a signal, I'm guessing", Mort said.

"He's there now." He looked at his watch. "The place probably opens at nine so we have time. I'm guessing he's going to be there all day."

"Are you going...to come with me?", I asked, more than a little confused.

"Not unless you want us to", Mort said.

"No. No, thank you, I mean."  
"Before you go anywhere or do anything", he said, "I have something for you." He reached into his jacket pocket, retrieved an envelope and handed it to me. Inside it were a few twenty dollar bills and a plastic card with my picture on it.

"A little spending money and a driver's license. It's a California license and it's totally legit."  
I looked at the information on the card. It gave my name as Melissa Eleanor Davis and my birthdate as January 28, 1978. "I'm...forty, then?"  
"You could pass for a bit younger", Dean said, "but why rock the boat? The license is legit, though no one will remember putting you in the system."

"How do you manage all this?", I asked.

Mort smiled. "The Walt Disney company has deep pockets."

"Membership has it's privileges", Dean added.

After brushing my teeth, taking a shower and putting on deodorant and a little perfume, I walked to the store. I still felt out of my element in this noisier world but at least Reno was quieter than Disneyland had been.

As I entered the parking lot, I was gripped by a sense of panic. What if he was nothing like the man I had known? What if I found him kissing someone else? What if he was exactly as I wanted him to be, but I could think of nothing to say to him? I took deep breaths, held my head up and strode into the store as confidently as I could.

Looking around, I saw about ten guests and four cast members. Then I reminded myself that _no, these are customers and employees._

Only one of the employees I could see was male and bore no resemblance to Steven. Despite Mickey's warning that he could look entirely different, I chose to believe that this was not who I was looking for and began to browse around the store in search of my answer.

I wandered amongst the shelves. Outside of Adam's library, I had never seen so many books in one place before. I walked back and forth, making sure to cover every aisle, until I found a section labeled "Science Fiction and Horror" and saw Steven.

He was shelving books and had his back to me, but I knew right away it was him.

"Excuse me", I said with as little nervousness as I could manage.

He turned and smiled. "How can I help you?", he asked.

I was right. It was him, though he was a bit different. Maybe a little younger, a few pounds heavier and his hairline was receding, but it was my Steven.

Even though his name-tag read "Clarence".

"Hello, yes. I was...wondering if you could help me find a book."  
"Sure. What book are you looking for?"

I had no idea. I hadn't thought that far ahead. I went with the first thing that popped into my head. "Do you have any books about Disneyworld?"  
"We probably do. Are you looking for a travel guide? Planning to take a trip?"

"Maybe...unless you have something about the history of Disneyworld."

"Hmmm...good question. Have you read Mouse Tales?"

"I've never even heard of it."  
He smiled. "It's a really good book. An unauthorized history of Disneyland. The same author wrote one about Disney World, as well, but I can't think of the name of that one. Let's see if we have a copy. Just follow me."  
I followed him round the store to another section. He did not know me, there was no question of that. My heart sank a little. Then I realized, not only did I no longer look like myself, but he had met me in a dream. A dream he may not have even remembered.

He found the section he was looking for and scanned the shelves. "It doesn't appear that we have one. I'm sorry."  
"Oh, that's alright. I really appreciate you looking."

He smiled again and in that smile, I saw my Steven. "Let's check the travel section. Hopefully we can find something that will help you."  
He led me to another part of the store, a larger section, where he pulled a book from the shelf and handed it to me. "This is the official guide. It is last year's edition, but there won't be that many changes. It's still a good resource."

"Thank you."  
"Are you going to Disney World soon?"

"I'm not really sure. I suppose it would be better to go sooner rather than later."

He nodded. "I agree."  
"You've been before, then?"

"Oh, sure. I lived in Louisiana for many years. I went quite a few times. Then I moved out here, which is a lot closer to Disneyland but I've only been able to get out there once so far."  
"Which do you prefer?"

"Disney World, by a country mile."

"Really? Why is that?"  
"Well, it's just so much bigger. So much more to see and do. I mean, I do like Disneyland but I would choose Orlando any day."  
I smiled. "I imagine you're right about that. You've been very helpful...Clarence. Thank you."  
He smiled and nodded. "My pleasure."  
I put out my hand. He was surprised but he took it. "I'm Melissa. It was very nice to meet you."  
"Well, thank you. It was nice to meet you, too."  
I knew I had seemed strange to him and I was afraid the conversation could go no further. I tried to think of any reason to prolong it. "Is there a place here that I can sit and look through this book?"  
"Yes. Back by the cafe, there are some chairs."  
"Thank you, very much."  
He smiled and nodded again and went on his way. I sighed and headed to the cafe.

I sat and flipped through the book but I didn't really care what it had to say. What I wanted was another excuse to keep talking to him. I'd lost all faith that I could jog his memory but I still hoped to get him into some kind of conversation that might lead topics beyond what he could sell me.

I got up and walked around the store. I checked out the movies. I picked up one of the Star Wars movies he had said was not worth watching and looked it over. I suspected he was right. I had no interest in examining Darth Vader's childhood.

Adjacent to the movies was a section of music on CD and vinyl. _This might help_ , I thought.

I made another search of the store until I found him.

"Hello again", I said.

He smiled. "Is there something else I can help you with?"

"Yes, please. I need a particular album by Peter Gabriel."  
"You've got good taste. I love him. Which one are you looking for?"

"I don't really know but I do know the name of a song on it."  
"OK. What's the song?"

"The Power of the Heart."

"Oh, good one. That's on Scratch My Back. Unless you're looking for the live version. Which one did you want?"

"Well, I don't really know. Can you show me what you have?"

"Sure. I'd be happy to."

A little while later, I left the store with a book I didn't intend to read, two CDs I had no way of playing and a smile on my face.

When I returned to the hotel, I ran into Dean in the lobby, flipping through brochures.

"How did it go?", he asked.

"I have a date tonight."

He looked stunned. "My god, you're good. Did he remember you?"

"No."  
"Then how on earth did you manage to get a date with him?"  
"I'm...not entirely sure. He was helping me with some music and I just sort of...asked him. He was as surprised as I was. I told him that I was new in town and that he seemed very nice and now I'm meeting him at six at the Mexican restaurant across the street from the store."  
Dean laughed. "Would that I were as smooth as you. Congratulations."  
"Yes, thank you. I suppose I ought to go to my room and get ready."

"Absolutely. And then you should spend the next eight hours waiting for your date."  
I giggled. "I'm being a bit silly, aren't I?"

He smiled and shook his head. "Think about how far you've come to find him. I think a little bit of silliness isn't out of order. You obviously really love him."  
"I do."  
"Then do you mind if I ask you an awkward question?"  
"No. Go ahead."  
"Is it him? I mean, is this really him? Is the guy you're eating dinner with tonight the same man you were with on the other side?"  
I thought about it. "I don't really know. I think so. I suppose I'll have a better idea after tonight."  
He nodded. "Good answer. Tell you what, we'll knock on your door about noon and the three of us can get some lunch. Sound good?"  
"Sounds very good, thank you."

"See you then."

Chapter Five

I got to the restaurant fifteen minutes early, told the hostess I was meeting someone and she showed me to a booth at the back. Water, nachos and salsa arrived shortly after. The restaurant was called Garcia's Corner and it was quiet and nice-looking. Not the San Angel Inn, but nice.

Just before six, I saw him walk in the door. He looked around and I waved to get his attention. He saw me, smiled and when he got to the booth, I had to resist the urge to hug him, remembering that we didn't actually know each other that well yet. So instead there was a brief, awkward moment where it probably looked like each of us was trying to decide if we should shake hands, embrace, lean in for a kiss or perhaps some other form of greeting that neither of us were familiar with. When we both laughed at our mutual awkwardness, it became clear that the best course of action was to simply sit down.

"This may sound really stupid", he said, "but I almost got you some flowers. Then I thought that might be a bad idea as this is only a first date, if it even is a date, which I don't really know and wouldn't presume to guess. So I didn't get the flowers and now I'm happy to see you and you look lovely and I'm regretting not getting the flowers...and also even telling you about it in the first place."

I knew he was being sincere. This wasn't an act to seem funny and I found everything he had just said utterly sweet and charming. I laughed.

He pointed to the door. "Should I just come in again and start over?"

"No, Clarence. Please. You're absolutely fine. I do like flowers, though. Maybe next time."

He smiled and blushed a little. "Would you mind doing something for me?"

"Anything."

"Would you call me Steven instead of Clarence?"

I felt joy at hearing the name escape his lips. "I'd be happy to."  
"Steven is my middle name and it's what I prefer. The stupid rules at Media Maze insist you have to have your full, first name on your tag so I'm stuck being called Clarence all the time."  
"I prefer Steven to Clarence as well."  
"I'm named after my grandfather, who was dead before I was born. I'm sure he was a great guy and everything, but I'd rather not have his name."

"I understand. I'm sure there are even worse names you could have been stuck with."  
"Yes, you're right. I'm sorry, I'm rambling. It's because I'm nervous. Which I probably shouldn't be admitting to."  
I smiled, as reassuringly as I could. "I'm nervous too."  
The waiter came, brought us our menus and took our drink orders. Steven asked for lemonade and I thought about a glass of wine, but decided on iced tea instead. Not having to simply retrieve my thought-of food from the kitchen was something I wasn't sure I could get used to.

Steven looked over the menu. "This is strange."

"The menu?"  
He smiled. "No, that we're here." He looked up, a flash of worry on his face. "I don't mean strange in a bad way. I'm happy to be here. I'm happy to have been _asked_ to be here. I just mean that it's odd. I don't get asked out often. Actually, that's not true. I never get asked out. I'm always the one who has to do the asking."  
"I never get asked out either."  
"That's hard to believe. You're very pretty. I mean, you're very nice too. Nice and pretty."  
Feeling embarrassed, more for him than myself, I resumed looking over my menu. "Thank you, Steven. I think you're quite sweet."

"There's this part of my mind that always thinks things are going wrong or about to go wrong and when you asked me out, that part of my mind started doing backflips. Like there's no way an attractive customer is going to ask you out on a date unless it's part of a scavenger hunt or she's a serial killer or something...and I really shouldn't have said that last part out loud, should I?"

I giggled and put my hand on his. "There's nothing you should be afraid of saying to me. Just be honest and be yourself. I wouldn't have asked you to have dinner with me if I didn't want to talk with you." I leaned in a little closer. "And I promise not to kill you."  
He smiled again. I knew that smile. I'd seen it a hundred times. I loved that smile.

"Thank you, Melissa. I can let my mouth run and say some pretty stupid things but you are making me feel far more relaxed than I expected to."

I let go of his hand and turned to the next page of the menu.

"What are you thinking about having?", he asked.

"The chile relleno sounds good."

"Are you vegetarian?"  
"I am, yes. A close friend inspired me to go that way."  
"That's cool. I think I will do the same."  
The waiter returned with our drinks and we placed our orders. We sipped our beverages and chatted over our nachos and I saw flashes of my Steven in there and it felt a potent mix of emotions every time.

"There's something about you that's kind of familiar."

"Really?", I asked, excited. "What do you think it is?"

"I don't know. I think maybe you remind me of an actress. I think it's your eyes. Your eyes...remind me of someone."  
"But you've no idea who?"

"Nope."  
"Interesting. Well, we're both Disney fans. Maybe you walked with me, once upon a dream." I regretted it the second the words had left my mouth. It sounded so stupid out loud.

He shook his head. "A nice idea but I never remember my dreams."  
"OK then. With only a mild change of topic, what would you say is your favorite Disney film?"

"Well...from the classic years I would have to go with Dumbo. From the modern period it's easily Beauty and the Beast."  
"Those are good choices."  
"What's yours?"

"At the moment, I'd say it's Fantasia."  
"Really? That's a good one."  
"Do you have a favorite princess? Or a favorite villain?"  
"Belle, no question. She doesn't set out to be a princess. She's totally her own person and only falls in love with the Beast because she sees the humanity within him and helps to bring it out."

"I agree."

"She's such a contrast to Ariel."  
"How so?"  
"Well, The Little Mermaid is a nice movie but Ariel is kind of an idiot. She throws away her family and everything she knows because she thinks she's in love with a man she's never even had a conversation with. Belle is worthy of respect, but Ariel? She's kind of a dumb teenager."  
"You raise a good point." _And I will be sure to never tell Ariel that you said that_.

"As for a favorite villain, well the choices are better. You've got Gaston who I think is a pretty realistic depiction of a bully. Then there's Facilier who is quite charming and also has the best villain song. Jafar and Hook and Hades are quite dynamic. The queen from Snow White is great but my choice would easily be Maleficent."

The food was even better than I had hoped. But as our plates became progressively cleaner, a somber mood seemed to overtake him.

"Is something wrong?"

"No. Nothing is wrong. Everything is pretty right, actually. I just got lost in thought." He smiled like he had been caught not paying attention and was contrite.

"What kind of thoughts did you get lost in?"  
He took a sip of lemonade and said "I have no desire to mess up such a lovely evening with a sob story."  
"You won't mess up anything. I'm interested in whatever you have to say. I'm also a very good listener."

He took a breath, then nodded. "I had a run of bad luck earlier this year. Things got about as bad as they can. But now, I'm sitting here with you, having a great time. It's a very big contrast and it makes me happy."  
"I'm happy too. Does it make you uncomfortable to talk about it? Your run of bad luck, that is?"  
"Hmm...you know what? If you want to know about it, I will tell you. I just don't want you to think I'm trying to unload my problems on you. I don't want to do that at all."  
"I won't. You can tell me anything that you want to."  
"Thank you. I think it might be good, you know? To talk about things with someone who doesn't know you that well, yet. Someone who doesn't have preconceived notions."

I nodded.

"Basically, everything pretty much went to hell earlier this year. First, I lost my job. A different job, obviously. It wasn't a great job and I was thinking about leaving but, you know, it paid the bills. Anyway, I was unexpectedly laid off."  
"I'm so sorry."

"Thank you. Anyway, right after that, my girlfriend left me. I'm out work, desperately trying to find another job and she dumps me. I mean, I sure don't miss her now but at the time, it really hurt."

"I can't stand her, myself. Awful woman."  
He smiled. I took hold of his hand.

"So I'm unemployed and suddenly living alone and thankfully I've got enough money in the bank to pay the rent for another couple of months. I'd been saving up to go to Disneyland again, can you believe it? Anyway, my friend Danny comes over to try and cheer me up and his idea of the best way to do that is for the two of us to get blind, stinking drunk."

"That idea is not unique to him."  
"No, it certainly isn't. It also doesn't take much alcohol to get me drunk. I've never been a serious drinker. A couple of glasses and I'm usually just ready for bed. Well, we finished off more beer than we should have and I decided to hit the sack. However, the pills I'd been taking to help me sleep don't go too well with alcohol and I was too blitzed to remember not to take them. I may have even taken more than I should have because, being drunk, I didn't know what I was doing. Anyway, I'm just glad Danny passed out on my sofa, because that meant he was there to call an ambulance the next morning, when he couldn't wake me up."

I was horrified by what he was telling me. I was also glad I had opted against ordering wine, even though I now wanted it more than ever.

"I was in a coma for eight days. How about that? My parents flew into town and it was a whole big thing but, hey, it's OK now. I haven't touched a drop of booze since and I got the job at Media Maze, which isn't exactly brain surgery but it pays well enough and I think things are looking up."  
He raised his glass to mine. "Here's to more good things in the future."

"Yes", I said. "To good things."  
I smiled, but inside I was trembling. His coma had been our time together. I wasn't even sure I believed his story. Had it really been an accident? Or had he been trying to do himself in? Had we only met because of a failed suicide attempt? I hated the idea and I hated myself for even considering it.

"I'm sorry", he said. "I have totally monopolized the conversation. I want to hear more about you. Where were you before you came to Reno?"

"Well, Florida."

"Really? Anywhere near Orlando?"

"Um, yes. Orlando, exactly. Then I came here."  
"Why would you leave Orlando for Reno? I mean, I know Florida's got a reputation for being a bit screwy but...Reno? It's kind of like the special-needs brother of Vegas."  
That made me laugh. "I think I had a feeling that I was looking for something and this would be where I would find it."

He looked a little dubious, but in a friendly way. "How's your search going?"

I smiled. "So far, Reno has been very good to me."  
He blushed. "You're sweet."  
"So are you."  
"Thank you."

It was almost ten when I returned to the hotel. Climbing the stairs, I saw Mort at the drink machine.

"Hey. How did it go?"  
"I'm not entirely sure."  
"Uh-oh. Want to talk about it?"

"Yes, I think I do."  
"Well, Dean's asleep. Let's go to your room."

He drank his soda while I recounted the events of the evening. When I was done, he said nothing. His brow was furrowed and he seemed both sad and confused.

"What do you think I should do?"  
"Well, I know you love him. So...I can tell you the truth...or I can tell you what might make you feel better."  
"I only want the truth."  
"OK, but I don't think you'll like it. What I think you should do is call him tomorrow. Wait until you know he's at work so the call will go to voicemail and you can leave him a message. Tell him you had a good time but that you're not ready for a relationship and you don't think the two of you should see each other again. Tell him you're just getting over a breakup or you think he's too young or whatever you think he will accept, but let him down as gently as you can. It won't be painless for him and he may think he scared you off with this overdose story but I truly think the better option is for you to go home to Disneyworld. I know that sucks, but just try to live with your memories and get on the best you can." He shrugged. "That's what I would do, anyway."  
Nothing he said didn't make sense. Not that I didn't hate hearing it. I just nodded.

Chapter Six

The next morning I bought cookies from the vending machine for breakfast. I simply wasn't prepared to see Mort and Dean. I ate in my room and brushed my teeth and took a bath and then lay on the bed and tried not to be bothered by the fact that all I could find on the television was awful garbage that made me with the stupid machine had never been invented in the first place.

And, when the time was right, I called Steven and left him a message.

I told him that I had really enjoyed our date and that I would like to see him again soon.

That done, I went and knocked on Mort and Dean's door.

"You should take her shopping", Mort said. "She's going to need more clothes, for a start."

"And we'll have to find you a place to live", Dean said.

"Not without more paperwork. You handle the immediate necessities and I'll get on the horn back to Anaheim. Start in on the important stuff. Birth certificate, social security number, employment history, all that fun. Maleficent, sorry, _Melissa_ , did you tell him any details of your life before the other day?"

"I told him that I lived in Florida for a long time and then came here."  
Mort nodded. "Technically, not a lie. Nice. You're going to need a job. You understand that, right?"

I smiled and shrugged. "My primary qualifications are issuing curses and being villainous."  
"I doubt that the White House is hiring right now", said Dean.

Mort started typing something on his phone. "We'll figure something out. I realize I'm wasting my breath saying it, but this would be a lot easier if we were actually in Florida. Or California, for that matter. We could always get you on the Disney payroll."  
"Are lots of former characters working for Disney out here?"  
"You know Elliott 2? From the second Pete's Dragon?"  
"I know of him."

"He's designs topiaries for the parks in Orlando."  
"Oh. I hope he likes it."  
"I couldn't say. Dean?"

"Yep?"

"While you're out and about today, just do your best to fill her in on everything you think she's going to need to know to get along in this world. You know, all the stuff you wish someone had told you when you first came over."  
"If I tell her all of that while we're driving and we'll end up in Montreal."  
Mort looked back to me. "We're not going to disappear on you. Even once you're settled in, we're going to stick around a bit. And, once we're back in California, we will keep in touch. If you have any questions, if you need anything, just consider us the help desk."  
"Thank you. Both of you. I'm sure I'll need it. Sincerely, thank you for everything."

With Dean's help and Disney's money, I acquired several more outfits, most of a more professional style. Then we spent lunch eating pizza and looking at apartment listings in the area, with him telling me the things I should want and the things I should avoid.

When we returned to the hotel, Mort told me that my paperwork should be arriving the following day. He also handed me a small box.

"What's this?"  
"Your new iPhone."  
"Oh dear."  
"Yes, I got the feeling you were a bit of a technophobe but that isn't going to work out here. Technology is your friend, Melissa. My advice is to get used to it. The next thing we need to start planning is to set you up with a bank account, credit cards and the rest of that jazz. When are you seeing Steven next?"  
"I don't know. He hasn't called back yet."  
"Well, while you're hanging on that, let's take a look at the local employment listings and try to find something that you could do."

It was uncharted territory to me but, with their help, we came up with some possible jobs I might be able to fill. Mort said he would start setting up a history for me and I went back to my room to decompress a little.

I took off my shoes and lay down on the bed. Lying any way I wanted without having to take two horns into account was a strange sensation but one I felt I could get used to. I lay there for about an hour, just enjoying the relative silence and trying to get a sense of my new life.

The phone rang. I answered it.

"Melissa?"

"Yes."

"Hi. It's Steven."  
"Hello, Steven. It's good to hear your voice."

Chapter Seven

I got a bank account, rented an apartment and found a job, working in reception at a hotel about a block and a half from the one where we had been staying. The apartment was small, just two rooms, a little kitchen and a bathroom but I liked it. Not a castle, but cozy.

The bank account was opened with a healthy sum courtesy of the Walt Disney company. "That's thirty thousand dollars", Mort said. "Nothing to sneeze at. Don't spend it all in one go or anything. It's for trouble that you don't see coming. If you need more, _which you shouldn't_ , let me know."

Dean taught me how to drive and I bought a second-hand car. Once I got accustomed to driving, I found I quite enjoyed being behind the wheel.

Once they were sure I could stand on my own, Mort and Dean went back to California. Mort told me to call or email him if I needed anything. Dean said pretty much the same thing but also added that it would be fine if I called "just to talk."

Steven and I went out every few nights. Dinner and movies and laying around together, either in his apartment or mine. Sometimes I would find myself staring into his eyes while he talked and I would think I was seeing the other Steven inside. I mean, he was the same man, just a slightly different version. A little more shy, a little less confident but still funny and smart and sweet like I had known him. I had no intention of changing him or trying to make him more like his other self. All I wanted to do was to give him whatever he needed to be more of who he really was in those unguarded moments. To cast out Clarence and be Steven.

One night, while glancing over the books on his shelves, I saw a couple about magic. I asked him about that and he seemed to deflect the question a bit. He said it was something he had been interested in his teens but nothing he really pursued. The differences between Steven and the dream of him were interesting to me, never insurmountable and sometimes kind of charming.

For a little while, I found myself looking for flashes of recognition in his eyes. Sometimes I would think he was seeing who I really was, remembering me. But that was not the case. He was just happy to see me.

I was good at my job. I took on more responsibility whenever and wherever I could. After five months, I was promoted to night manager. A year later, I was literally running the place.

When the lease was up on the apartment, I asked Steven to move in with me. We rented a house and he began taking night classes towards his goal of quitting Media Maze and becoming a librarian. I thought that was a charming choice of vocation and literally beamed when he told me it was his plan.

We shared chores and bills. If I found myself tired of cleaning and cooking, I would ask myself what would Cindy say about my fatigue? Having to take care of your home was hardly exciting but it was no unnecessary hardship. It was just one part of our life together.

We adopted a dog from the shelter. A small and scruffy brown mutt, whom I insisted upon naming Diablo. The three of us were happy.

Pregnancy was not something I had anticipated. To call it a shock would be an understatement. Steven was surprised as well, but happy. Even though I understood that I was now a _human_ , I suppose I hadn't really considered all that that would mean. In Disneyworld, we do not age or get sick. We also do not get pregnant. I imagine that, if we did, the place might be overrun with little princes and princesses. Even faced with the reality of my pregnancy, I still harbored fears that something would go wrong.

Two months later, I suffered a miscarriage. I'd never even heard of such a thing. The doctor told me that there was no reason why I could try and get pregnant again but I knew better. I was not of this world and would not be bringing any children into it.

For a time, I had warmed to the idea of being a mother, but reality had other plans. For a while we talked about adoption. Then we stopped talking about it. We had each other and that would be enough. We would not be parents.

Steven finished his studies and became licensed. He found being a librarian greatly preferable to selling people used copies of 'drivel theoretically written by James Patterson'. I was happy that he liked his new job but I was also feeling a bit restless. Perhaps a little homesick. That was when I brought up the idea of relocating.

"I'm definitely not opposed to leaving Reno", he said, "but where would we go?"

I smiled and took his hand. "How would you feel about Florida?"  
"To be honest, the only reason I would want to live in Florida would be to be close to Disney World."  
I nodded. "A new home, new jobs...annual passes to the parks..."  
"Do you really want to do that?"  
"I do."  
"Then let's look into it."  
I smiled. "I've already started."

"I love you, Melissa."  
"I love you, Steven."  
"And that's all that matters."

We moved the following October. We bought a house just outside Orlando and, once we were officially moved in, we went for a celebratory dinner at Via Napoli. After dinner we took a walk through World Showcase. Of course there were no houses next to the Rose and Crown. No homes for Steven or Cru. It felt surreal, both sweet and a little sad to be in a place that was so close to what had been my home, yet also so different. And so very noisy.

I found a management job at the Swan resort, one of the few hotels in the resort that are not actually owned by Disney. True to form, I began moving up the corporate ladder quickly. In two years, I was made general manager.

Steven went to work in a library not far from our house. He often rode his bicycle to work. It was generally a quiet job and being surrounded by books made him happy.

We went to the parks often and I became charmed by them. I must confess that I always felt a bizarre but happy sensation when I saw toys or t-shirts of myself. That is, when they came from the original film. I wasn't crazy about the live action versions. Every October, we would go to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party, always in costume and, every year, I resisted the urge to dress as myself.

We were standing in the queue for the Haunted Mansion when Steven turned to me and asked, "Do you know what next year is?"

"Are you asking me if I know what year next year will be? Because I'm fairly certain that I do."  
"No, I'm asking if you know what will happen next year."  
"We will choose a new president. Hopefully not another one who is clinically insane."  
"Well there is that, but I was thinking about the fact that next year will be the twelfth anniversary of our first date."

"Wow. You're right."

Of course, to my mind, it would be our thirteenth anniversary but I wasn't going to mention that.

"Pretty cool, right?" he asked.

"Very cool", I said and kissed him.

 _Do not pull down on the safety bar. I will lower it for you._

As we passed by the endless hallway with it's floating candelabra, Steven took my hand.

"Can I ask you something?"  
"Of course you can, darling."  
He pulled something from his pocket and opened his palm. I could see the sparkle.

"Will you marry me?"  
I gasped. Then I nodded. Then I squeezed him tight and said "Yes. Yes, yes, yes!"

He slid the ring on to my finger and kissed me.

"So you'll be my Disney princess?"  
I chuckled. "I think I'm really more of a Disney villain, myself."  
"Villain or princess, I don't care as long as you're mine."

"Always yours, darling."  
"I love you."  
"I love you, too."  
"And that's all that matters."

We told no one else about the engagement and celebrated the twelfth anniversary of our first outerworld date by being married on the beach at the Polynesian resort. One of my happiest memories.

As we were walking back to my car, he held out his hand, in a fist, as if he wanted me to give him a fist bump.

"What's this?"  
"Go on. Touch yours to mine."  
I did as he asked.

He smiled. "Marriage powers, activate." Then he dropped his hand.  
I laughed. "What on earth was that?"  
"The Wonder Twins."

"Never heard of them."  
"From the Superfriends."  
"Is that like the Avengers?"  
"Well, yes. Just not as good. It was a cartoon when I was a kid."  
"I never saw it. Sorry."  
"Well, there were these characters called the Wonder Twins and they would put their hands together like that and say Wonder Twin powers, activate! Then they could change into whatever shape they wanted. Although usually one became a bird and the other became a bucket of water."  
I laughed out loud. "That sounds incredibly stupid."  
"It was. They also had a pet monkey."  
"I do hope you're not suggesting we get a monkey."

He giggled. "No. I just like the idea of marriage powers. Another weird little thing for us to laugh about. You know?"  
I put my arms around him and kissed him. "I love it. Nowhere near as much as I love you, but I do love it."

I was there for him when his parents died. I, of course, did not have parents to lose. I told him they had been dead since my twenties. A far more believable story than they were non-existent in the first place.

His mother, he was close to. His father, he considered an unreasonable bully. The brief time I spent in the man's company did little to convince me that Steven's assessment was wrong. After his mother's death, he was sad but still himself. His father's death sent him into a depression that consisted of barely speaking, eating little and, without saying as much, making it clear that he needed to face this and come out of it on his own. It hurt to see him like that but I knew from experience that there was little I could do. Any attempt to cheer him up would have only made the situation worse. After a week of him being in that state, on a morning when I worked and he did not, I left two small toys on the kitchen counter for him to find. A plush Belle and one of those ridiculous looking Pop figures of Maleficent. I left a note with them. It read _I love you endlessly_. I meant nothing by it but to tell him what I told him often, that I loved him.

A couple of hours later, my phone buzzed. It was a text from him. _You're my world. I love you_. When I got home that evening, he was more like himself that he been since the old man's death. We sat together on the sofa, eating pizza and watching a haunted house movie, Diablo by my side.

One day a letter arrived, postmarked California. It was from Mort. He had written to tell me that Dean was gone. Though we hadn't spoken or seen in each other in person for a few years at that point, I still felt sad. I wondered if Figment knew. I wondered if anyone would be able to tell him.

Steven came home, exhausted and exasperated, due to some situation at work. Someone there not doing their share and creating disharmony. All the frustration in him vanished when he saw my face.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?"  
I gave him a small smile. "An old friend of mine died. Someone I knew before I met you."  
He embraced me and kissed my shoulder. "I'm so sorry."

"Thank you. It's alright. I...I guess I just don't like the idea of him not being in the world anymore. He was funny...and imaginative. You would have liked him. Epcot was his favorite park."  
He pulled back and smiled. "Sounds like a good man. I'm sorry I didn't know him."

I nodded.

"I have an idea", he said, "but it's OK if it's too much right now. Why don't we go to Epcot tonight? We can have a good meal and raise a glass to his memory. What was his name?"

"Dean."  
"To Dean, then. What do you think?"

"I think that would have made him happy."

Years passed and I didn't mind. I didn't mind getting older. I didn't mind the occasional illness or injury. I didn't mind any of it because we were together and we were happy. Of course Diablo passed on but other dogs came into our life, often with Disney-related names. I found it hard to fall asleep without a little furry friend by my feet.

When retirement came, we both found it didn't suit us. Steven volunteered at the library where he had worked for so many years, helping people with literacy problems and I began to help out at local animal shelter. We visited a different Disney park at least once a week, sometimes doing nothing more than having a meal and spending some time people watching. We were friendly with many cast members and became the one of the old couples we used to see when we were younger, seated together on a bench, holding hands.

Chapter Seven

He died of course. All things in his world do.

A heart attack took him from me. He wasn't even doing anything strenuous at the time. Just walking across our living room. I held his hand in the ambulance. I hated letting go, even when they told me he was gone.

Steven was seventy-eight. That put my age as eighty. I was alone again but I refused to become angry or bitter. I knew how fortunate I had been. I had found him twice. I'd had a second chance with the man I loved and we had spent decades together, every moment of it worth it. We'd had more love and more time together than many people would ever get the chance to.

It had been a good life.

He was buried on a warm afternoon. The funeral was attended by a few friends, including some from work and some from the parks. Everyone had a favorite story to tell about something funny he had said or some kindness he had shown them. Everyone was sweet and sympathetic to me. I was grateful but somehow it also made his absence even more acute.

The day after his funeral, the doorbell rang. I expected to find either someone offering condolences or trying to sell me something. What I did not expect was a face that I had not seen for many years.

"Mort? What on earth are you doing here?"

He smiled. "Close, but not quite. I'm Ferd." He shook my hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm very sorry for your loss."  
"Come in, Ferd, please. What can I do for you?"

"Actually, I've come to do something for you."  
"What's that?"

"I'm here to take you home, Maleficent."

I held Fizzgig, our chihuahua in my lap as Ferd drove us to Hollywood Studios. He parked in the cast member lot and pinned a VIP badge to his shirt. Then he petted Fizzgig, who responded warmly to his touch. That gave me heart as Fizzgig did not trust easily.

"I'm afraid, Ferd."

"He'll be OK. I love dogs. I promise I'll take excellent care of him."  
"Yes, but I'm also afraid for myself."

"You're afraid to go back?"

"I...I don't know. I just feel scared."  
He put his hand on my shoulder. "It's going to be good. Please don't worry."

A woman met us at the cast member entrance. She introduced herself as Kiki and said she would hold on to Fizzgig until Ferd returned. He seemed happy to let her hold him. Two new friends in one day, I was happy for him even though I was heartbroken to leave him.

Ferd led me into the park, through an entrance most guests would never notice. We made our way to Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway. There were no guests waiting to ride as the attraction had been roped off and a sign had been put out, apologizing for technical difficulties. Ferd opened a door and we entered the show building.

"It's not actually broken. I just had them take it down long enough for us to do this."

He held my hand and led me around and, in some cases, under the tracks until we reached the wall. The same wall that had once been part of the Fantasia scene from the Great Movie Ride. Ferd smiled at me, then looked at his watch.

"Any moment now", he said.

The wall began to ripple and swirl. The passage was open once more.

Ferd held out his hand, indicating it was time for me to go. I hugged him.

"Thank you. Please tell Mort thank you, as well."  
"I will, Maleficent. I promise."  
I wiped a tear from my eye, took a deep breath and stepped through.

Chapter Eight

I stumbled and fell, then rolled on to my back. I closed my eyes in an attempt to fend off the nausea I felt coming on.

"It's alright, Maleficent. You're home now."

I slowly opened my eyes and Mickey came into focus. He was standing over me, smiling softly.

"So close to the end, you bring me back?", I asked, in a voice I had not had for decades.  
He chuckled. "Look at your hands", he said.

I did. They were smooth. Ageless. _Green_. I touched my face, my head. _Horns_.

I was myself again.

"Don't try to stand up yet", he said. "Rest a bit."  
I rolled over and managed to sit up, my back to the wall I had just passed through. I could see that I was dressed in my classic costume. Even those stupid heels. A little laugh escaped my lips.

I looked up at Mickey. "You know", I said, "things are becoming clearer."

He put his hands behind his back and tried to appear innocent. "I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about."  
"You sent Figment to my room that night."  
"Well...I didn't exactly send him. I just told him what had happened. He knew what had become of Dreamfinder. The rest was his idea."

"Does he know that Dean- Dreamfinder is gone?"

He gave a small nod.

"I liked him. He was a good man."  
"Mort and Ferd speak well of you."  
"You can talk with them?"

"In a roundabout way. Messages get passed. Time is an issue, of course. I miss them. I'm glad they were able to help you."  
"So am I. But you're not off the hook, you know. I still have questions. I want to know why you tried so hard to dissuade me from going if you knew I'd be coming back?"

"I didn't _know_ anything. I'm hardly omnipotent."

"You could have told me about the passage the moment you knew Steven was gone."  
He sat down beside me. "That wouldn't have been smart. You would have jumped at the chance to follow him and that was not have a decision to be made rashly. I needed you to really consider the cost. I knew you'd go and I knew that I wouldn't stop you, but I wanted you to understand the ways it could go wrong."  
I nodded. "You were right. You were right and I was mean. I threatened you."  
He giggled. "Yes, you did."  
"You weren't afraid of me in the slightest, were you?"  
"You were very imposing. But, no. I knew what was in your heart."

I nodded. Then I said, softly, "Thank you, Mickey."

"It was worth it, wasn't it?"

I smiled. "Every second."

He held my hand. "Rest a bit, OK? When you're ready to go, Thog will escort you home."  
I looked up to find Thog, a tall blue, Muppet monster approaching. He waved to me.

"Hello, Thog. I'm happy to see you."  
"Take your time", Mickey said. "There's no rush."  
I nodded, then looked back to Thog. "I'm ready if you are."  
He helped me to my feet. I was still wobbly but I was ready to go home. To my castle. To my bed.

Thog and I walked slowly though the park. It was sunset and the place appeared to be deserted. When we reached the castle entrance, I heard a familiar 'caw'.

"Diablo!"

He perched on my shoulder and rubbed his head against my neck.

"Oh, Diablo, my pet. How I have missed you."

Once inside the castle, I gave Thog a hug. "I can take it from here, thank you. Please tell the rest of the Muppets I will come and see all of you very soon."  
He waved goodbye and then shuffled off into the evening. I pulled the wrapping from my horns and removed my cowl. Dropping those on the table, I stepped out of my heels. Holding my robe up a bit, I climbed the stairs to my bedchamber. My strength had returned but I was woefully tired.

Finally I reached my destination. Opening the door, I saw Steven, sitting on the corner of my bed. Not the Steven I had grown old with. The Steven I had met in a dream, _his dream_.

He smiled. "Hello, sweetheart."  
I literally collapsed in his arms.

Chapter Sixteen

 _"Steven, sit down. There's something I want to give you."  
I did as he asked, then smiled. "Making me a prince wasn't enough?"_

 _"No. This is different. This is my gift to you but I have to tell you something first. You're not going to like it."  
"OK..."_

 _He closed his eyes for a second, then opened them and said, "Steven, you're dreaming."  
For a moment I thought it was some sort of cruel joke. But cruel jokes were not Mickey's style._

 _"No. No, I can't be."  
"I'm sorry, but it's true."  
"Mickey, I've been here a year! This can't be a dream."  
"I'm sorry, Steven. You aren't the first to dream yourself here. I'm sure you won't be the last either. But you have certainly stayed the longest. I hope you stay as long as possible."  
"But Maleficent!"  
"Doesn't know."  
"Oh god, Mickey. I'm going to wake up, aren't I?"_

 _"Yes."_

 _I started to cry. "I don't want to. I want to stay here."_

 _"Then you need to accept my gift."  
"And I can stay?"_

 _He sighed. "Not this time. But you will come back."_

 _"It's not fair, Mickey. I thought I was dreaming at first but then I thought I couldn't be. I've been here too long. It isn't fair. I wanted this to be real. I believed it was real."  
"It is real, Steven."_

 _"Yeah, but I'm not! I'm not really here."_

 _"Yes, you are. And if you accept my gift, you'll be back."  
"In another dream? For a little while? No."  
"No, Steven, you'll come back for good. When your time is up in the outerworld, you will return here and stay forever. You'll be one of us."  
"How long will that take? How long will I have to be stay in the...out there?"_

 _"I don't know. I'm sorry but I have no way of knowing."_

 _"Fine. I accept."  
"There's a condition."  
"Ha! Of course there is. Why wouldn't there be? Well, go on. Let me have it."  
"You can't tell anyone."_

 _"I have to lie to Maleficent? That's not right."  
"Magic has rules. Magic has a price. All you have to do is keep this gift a secret until you return. After that, you can tell anyone you like."  
I sobbed. I wanted to protest but I knew nothing I could say would make any difference. I looked Mickey in the eye. I could tell he was sad, too. I nodded._

 _"I accept."_

 _He put his hands on my shoulders. "Thank you, Steven. Believe me, when you go, I will miss you as much as everyone else will."_

 _I sniffled. He handed me his handkerchief. "You don't want her to see that you've been crying."_

 _"Yeah. She'll want to know why."  
He laughed softly. "She's a very smart lady and she loves you with all her heart."_

 _"She won't forget me when I'm gone, will she? She couldn't, right?"_

 _Mickey smiled. "No, she would never do that."_

I was seated on a bench. Not in Frontierland, this time. This time there was no confusion, no mental fog. I knew where I was, sitting in front of the Boardwalk hotel.

"How do you feel?"  
I turned and saw that Mickey was sitting beside me. He looked worried.

"I died, Mickey."  
He nodded.

"I suppose, besides being dead, I feel fine."  
"How is your memory?"  
"I remember..." I thought about it. I remembered everything. I felt sad. No, I felt devastated but I resolved not to show it.

"My memory is good, Mickey. I know who I am, all of it."

"Good. I've missed you, pal."  
I smiled, maybe not as convincingly as I hoped. "I've missed you, too. Is Maleficent here?"  
"Um...not yet."

"Not _yet_?"

"She _will_ be. It will just take a little time."  
"How much time?"

He shrugged. "I wish I knew."

"Right."  
"Your house is just as you left it."

I nodded.

"Want a ride home?", he asked with a smile. I turned and saw that his funny looking little car was parked behind us, in front of the bar.

"Tell me something, Mickey. Are you the only person here who even has a car?"

He laughed. "Vanellope has one, as well. But she only likes to race it between the resorts."

"That makes sense."  
"Come on, pal", he said. "I'll drop you off."

Epcot was quiet as we entered. He let me off right in front of my house and, as he drove away, the front door of the house beside it opened. Whatever she had been headed out to do, it was instantly forgotten.

"Oh my god." She broke out into a wide smile and threw open her arms. "Come here, you."  
I hugged her and she squeezed me tight.

"You are a sight for sore eyes, you know that?"  
"I'm happy to see you as well, Cru."  
"Where's Maleficent? Is she with you?"

"No. I'm told she's on her way."

"Oh. Well...Did you miss us?"  
"Please don't be offended but...I didn't remember you. I didn't remember any of you or anything about this place."

She took a half step back, looked at me and nodded. "Because you were dreaming. Hmm. Dreams are like that, aren't they?"

I couldn't think of anything to say in return.  
"Well, never mind. You're home and that's a start. Please tell me you're staying."  
"I'll never leave again."

She kissed my cheek. "That's the best thing I've heard in a long time."

"Thank you. Can you tell me something?"

"Anything."  
"How long was I gone?"

"Ten years. Actually...ten years to the day. How about that?"

"Ten...wow."

"Why? How long did you think you were gone?"

I snickered. "Cru, Maleficent and I have been in the outerworld for forty years."  
That stunned her. "Alright...how about if we go inside and I pour myself a drink and you tell me all about it, OK?"  
"Yes, please. I think I need that."

She was curled up on her sofa, a glass of wine in her hand. I sat in the large chair opposite, nursing a bottle of cold lemonade.

"I'm sorry", Cru said, "but I am always going to find the idea of Maleficent doing laundry funny."  
"We both did laundry."  
"Yes, but dear, you're from the outerworld. I can picture you doing that. Her? That's just amusing."

"I suppose so. At the time it seemed normal. Of course at the time it..."  
"What?"

I could feel a terrible sickness of emotion rising in me.

"Steven, what's the matter?"  
"Cru, I didn't know it was her."  
She set her glass down and put her hands to her mouth.

"I didn't remember her. I was with her for forty years and had no memory of our time here. I feel awful."  
Cru leaned forward and took my hand in hers. "No. No, you mustn't feel bad. You did nothing wrong. How could you have recognized her from a dream you didn't remember having? You couldn't. It's not like she had green skin and horns out there, right?"

I shook my head. "But you know, when I picture her now...I can see it. The same face. The same body. Same mannerisms. Her voice was different, but not the way she spoke."

"Different, how?"

"Um...well, here she kind of sounds...I don't know, British. Not like you, but, I don't know, a little aristocratic? Out there, her voice was more...neutral American. I wish I could describe it better."  
"It doesn't matter, dear. The only thing that matters is that you have no cause to feel guilty."  
"I'm sure you're right but it's going to take me a while to believe it."  
"Then let's talk about happier things."  
I nodded. "Yes. Tell me all about what's new here since I left."

"Hmmm...let's see. Well, Ben and Mo are together now. Have been for about a year."  
"Ben...Solo?"

"Yes."

"Who's Mo?"  
She grinned. "Moana, dear."  
"Are you kidding me?"

She laughed. "Not at all. He's calmed down quite a bit. Has a good relationship with his parents and Mo has been a good influence on him as well. He can still come off a little, I don't know, humorless but if you spend a few minutes talking with him you find that's really not the case."  
"Wow. That's...just...just, wow."  
"Love knows no prejudices. You should understand that more than most. You were one of the first non-villain to fall in love with one."

"Maleficent and I are trendsetters, then?"

She giggled. "The two of you and Elsa and Hildy, yes."  
"Is Rapunzel still trying to be Disneyworld's greatest magician?"  
"She is, indeed. Every so often she will put on a little show at Be Our Guest."  
"Did she ever start doing any of those illusions I taught her?"

"She did."  
I smiled and shook my head. "I can't imagine what poor soul she roped into being her assistant."  
" _Ahem_."

"You're kidding."  
"I most certainly am not."

"How did that happen?"  
She smiled and sipped her wine. "She struck out with her fellow princesses and started asking the rest of us. I figured why not? It gave me another thing to spend my time working on. Honestly, it is kind of fun to watch people's jaws drop like that."  
"Well, I look forward to seeing your next performance."  
"Oh, I'm sure there will be one soon. As soon as she finds out you're back, I'm sure she's going to want to show you how she's come along."

"You know something, Cru?"

"What's that?"

"I'm sorry that I forgot my time here...but I am very, very happy to be home."

The next day, my phone would not stop ringing. Everyone knew I was back and everyone wanted to say hello and ask where Maleficent was and how she was and what it had been like for us. I took it all in good humor and tried not to get morose about being separated from Maleficent or my guilt over forgetting her.

On the second night after I got back, I gathered a group of our closest friends at Via Napoli. Cru, Belle and Adam, Leia and Han, Rapunzel and Flynn, Hildy and Elsa and Nessa. We ate lots of pizza, I told them lots of stories about the outerworld and our time there and the mood was mostly quite joyous.

"How is she, Steven?", Leia asked, when she arrived.

"I imagine right now, she thinks I'm dead. Well, I mean, I am dead."

"Then she's mourning." She gave me a hug and whispered "I've been there."

Between pizza and desert, I brought out something I had retrieved from my forget-me-not room. Our wedding album.

The first thing no one could get over was Maleficent's appearance as an ordinary human. Everyone agreed that she was very pretty but that she looked much more so as herself. Looking at a picture of Maleficent holding back a tear during the ceremony, Hildy put her arm around my shoulder and squeezed me tight.  
"I can't believe all of you", Flynn said with a rakish grin. "Is no one going to mention the amazing detail in these pictures? It's staring us in the face, guys. Come on!"  
Rapunzel pulled the album closer, scrutinizing it for clues. "What? What are we missing?"  
He pointed to the background. "Right there. Cindy's castle, just visible through the trees. They got married right here!"

It's true. Somehow I had forgotten to mention that detail.

"You guys got married in Disneyworld", Belle said. "That's completely perfect."  
"I just wish we could have been there", Han said.

I nodded. "I'm sure you weren't far from her mind."

"Steven:, Cru said, "I have a question."

"What's that?"  
"Well, Mickey did make you a prince before you left, yes? So my question is if this marriage makes Maleficent a princess, something I am completely in favor of by the way, does that mean we also get to claim you as a villain?" She smiled wickedly.

I laughed and nodded. "I accept!"

"And as I have always considered Maleficent to be a sister to me," Hildy said, "I am very happy to tell you welcome to the family."  
"Thank you, Hildy. That means the world to me."

Mickey had no idea how long it would take Maleficent to arrive. He figured at least a couple of weeks but even that was a guess. This left me with time to fill. Just sitting around thinking about her and what she had done for me and how much I wanted to be with her again was not conducive to mental well-being so I started finding other ways to occupy my time.

I got an electric bass guitar and started to learn to play. Naveen helped me with that and, after a few weeks, suggested we could try and put a band together. Finn became our drummer and Belle played keyboards. We called ourselves The Yellow Straps and played mostly covers from bands like The Beatles, The Kinks and The Who.

I watched all of Rapunzel and Cru's repertoire and we started up our magic sessions again. Rapunzel had become very skilled with cards and coins and I learned as much from her as she ever did from me.

Steve Rogers invited me to play tennis with him and even though I'd never given the sport any thought before, I jumped at the chance.

I finally read Mason and Dixon.

It was on a Thursday morning, as I was losing to Steve, that Mickey drove up.

"Steven!"

"Yes?", we both said.

He laughed and pointed to me. "Sorry, I meant him."  
"What's up, Mickey?"

He smiled. "She's coming home today."

I dropped my racket. Steve gave my shoulder a friendly punch. "You need to go get ready, buddy. You know you're going to want to look your best."

I was nervous as we drove back to Epcot.

"Is she going to be on that bench, by the Boardwalk?"  
"Oh, no. She's coming a different way than you did. Her route will take her straight to Hollywood Studios."

"Alright. When and where should I meet you?"

"Well...I was thinking maybe you shouldn't. Shouldn't be there when she arrives, that is."  
"What are you talking about, Mickey? Why wouldn't I be?"

"She might be a bit disoriented. She's just lost you and then she's going to travel back to this world and her appearance is going to change again. Maybe save one surprise for a little later, is all I'm saying."  
I didn't like it, but I also didn't think he was wrong.

"She's going to go home, right? I mean, back to her castle."  
"Yes."  
I nodded. "Then I'll be waiting for her there."  
He thought about it for a second. "OK. That might be for the best."

I thought about dressing up but decided against it. We hardly ever wore anything formal and I wanted her to be comfortable. Jeans and a t-shirt it would be. Then a thought occurred to me. There was a shirt I had bought online, back in the outerworld. When she saw it she had been both puzzled and amused and now I understood why. I went to the forget-me-not room and there it was, the lone item hanging on the rack.

It was a black t-shirt with an illustration of her face, straight from the film. The background design was in a 1980's style and so was the text, a single word that read "Wicked!" Just seeing it again made me giggle. I couldn't wait to see her in the flesh.

Mickey said he expected her around five-thirty so I rode over to the Studios at five. I left the bike at the amphitheater and walked the rest of the way. I heard Diablo calling as I approached. I held up my hand and he landed on it.

"She's on her way", I said and I could have sworn he understood. He took off again and flew in circles above me.

Mickey sent me a text. _She's on her way to the castle now_.

I set the flowers I had brought her on the bedside table and I sat on the bed, my legs shaking. I was so damn nervous I was afraid I'd start sweating and, when we were reunited, I'd stink. I took deep breaths and tried to calm myself down. I thought about what to say. _Hello? Miss me? I love you?_ Shakespeare, I was not.

When the door opened and our eyes met, I smiled.

"Hello, sweetheart", I said.

She took a couple of shaky steps towards me, a stunned look on her face.

I really hadn't expected her to pass out.

Chapter Nine

I awoke sometime in the middle of the night, convinced that it had been a dream or at least a hallucination. Then I rolled over and he was beside me, sitting up and looking at me. He was smiling.

"Hi."

I sat up and threw my arms around him, squeezing him tight. Then I took his face in my hands.

"Never leave me again, do you understand?" I smiled. "Do you see how far I'll go to find you?"

He laughed softly.

"I'm just messing with you, darling."  
"I know."

"But I really would go absolutely anywhere for you."  
He smiled. "I can see that, yes."

"Why won't you look in my eyes? You're not about to tell me this a damn dream, are you?"  
He looked straight at me, scared. "No. No. _Definitely_ not a dream. I'm really here. I'm here for good this time."

"Good. How, though?"

He told me about Mickey's gift. I considered his story and nodded. "Oh, Mickey. You may not plan things but you can always fix them. I'm grateful."

"And I'm sorry."  
"Sorry? What on earth for?"

He was looking away again. "Because I remember everything, every detail of our lives in both worlds. I'm sorry for not knowing it was you."

I pulled him close again and we laid down together. "Well, I hope you don't think I'm sorry for the time we spent together. Every day was worth it. Of course you didn't know it was me. How could I have told you? Darling, I'm really Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty. Oh, I'm sure you would have believed that!"

"I know. I've told Cru and Nessa about this. About this guilt and they've told me I have no reason to feel this way. They're right. You're right. But it doesn't make it go away."

I stroked the back of his head. "Steven, I don't think I've ever told you what my first day was like."  
"Your first day out there?"

"No. No, my first day in Disneyland. The day I...came into being. Standing in front of Aurora's castle. Maybe it was like when you first appeared in Frontierland. I had to ask myself that wonderful question _who am I?_...And then the answer came. _I'm the woman who cursed a baby. I'm the woman who, for no reason besides petty jealousy, wanted an infant to die_. I looked around and I saw Aurora and Philip and the fairies and I'm sure they were all as confused as I was, but all I could think was they hated me and I had to hide. So I did. It didn't take me long, especially not with Hildy's help, to understand that I had no control over what had happened in the story, that all that really mattered was what I did with the life I had now. I felt so terrible over what I had done to them...I know guilt, darling. I understand feeling guilty, even for something you had no control over." I kissed his forehead. "You have nothing to feel guilty about. No guilt and no tears, alright?" I adopted a tone of mock severity. "I forbid them!"

He laughed, a little.

"Let me ask you something, though. All the years we were together out there, you did know I was your soulmate, right?"

He lifted his head and looked at me. "Yes. Of course."  
I smiled. "Then you _did_ know it was me."

We kissed and he laid back down.

"I'm very tired", he said.

"Me too. Worn out."  
"Let's sleep for a week."

I giggled. "Sounds good to me."

When next I opened my eyes, the sun was just rising. I saw the flowers.

Then I rolled over. He was seated beside me.

"The flowers I should have given you on our first date."  
"They're lovely."  
"So are you."  
"The only other person who ever gave me flowers was Belle."  
"I didn't know that."  
"It was when you disappeared."  
"Oh. That makes sense. Belle is a good person. She's missed you."  
That was when I noticed his shirt. I laughed out loud. "I can't believe you're wearing that ridiculous thing."  
"Hey, you once gave me a Funko Pop of _yourself_. You have no room to talk."

I pulled him to me and began to undress him.

Later, as we lay entangled in the sheets, I asked "How long ago did you get back?"  
"Three months, two weeks and one day. The longest three months, two weeks and one day of my life."

"Wow. It's barely been days since I lost you."  
"Time is weird. Guess how long we've been gone from here."

"Do I want to know?"

"Ten years. Well, a little more than that now. Ten years the day I got back."  
"You're right. Time is weird, but I think it also gives us what we need."

"Maybe."  
"So, what have you been doing with your time?"  
"I play tennis with Steve."  
"Strange?"  
"Rogers."  
"You play tennis with Captain America? Why do I imagine that you lose more often than you win?"  
"Aw, I think it's sweet that you believe I could ever win."

I giggled. "True. What else?"

"Belle, Finn, Naveen and I are in a band."  
"I didn't know you could play an instrument."  
"I couldn't. I can now. I'm no John Deacon, but I'm doing my best."  
"I look forward to hearing you."  
"You may regret that."  
"Anything else?"

"Rapunzel has become quite the magician and Cru is her assistant."  
"Oh my god. That I _have_ to see."

"I'm sure you will."

"You know what I'm going to miss about the outerworld?"

"Laundry?"

"Hardly. I'm going to miss having a dog."  
"Yeah...I miss that, too. I suppose we could ask Bolt to move in."  
I chuckled. "I don't think that would be the same thing."  
"Let me ask you something."  
"Yes?"  
"Do you think we should still keep two homes?"

"Hmmm...that's a good question. I do love your house."  
"Your castle is amazing."  
"Well, it _is_ a castle."

"Stay as we are for now?"  
"Yes, I think so. One day, that may change but, for right now, I like having both."  
"Me too."  
A caw from the windowsill startled us. Diablo hopped on to the bed, an envelope in his beak.

"I think we've got mail", Steven said.

I opened it. "Oh, how sweet."

"Publisher's Clearing House?"

I laughed and swatted him with the envelope. "It's from Mickey. There's going to be a party to welcome me home. Today at noon. It says Fantasyland, though. Why Fantasyland and not just Be Our Guest?"  
"You really have no idea how many people are anxious to see you, do you?"

"I guess not." I read the rest of the note. "Oh."  
"Oh?"  
"It also says we have house-guests."

"What?" He looked as confused as I felt.

We threw on some clothes and made our way down the stairs to the main hall. As we reached the bottom, I saw them.

"Aunt Maleficent!", Aurora cried out, and ran to me. We hugged each other tightly.

"I'm so happy to see you, my darling girl!"  
"I was afraid you'd never return."  
"I wasn't sure that I would. Or could, for that matter."  
The embrace broke and I reached for Philip, pulling him in for a hug.

"I'm glad you're home", he said,

Turning, I saw Flora, Fauna and Merryweather. I put one hand on my hip and with the other, pointed an accusatory finger at them. "And as for you..."

They each took a step backward. I burst out laughing and ran to them, embracing all three. "I'm sorry", I said. "I couldn't resist."  
"We heard that you ran the Swan", Fauna said. "Is that true?"

"It is. I was very good at it."

"Did you miss us?", asked Merryweather.

"I did. I missed all of you." I looked at Steven. "But it was worth it."  
"When did you get here?" Steven asked Aurora.

"This morning. We got Mickey's message last night but we figured we should give the two of you some alone time first."

"Yes", Philip added, "and of course, we're coming to the party."

We left not long after eleven. The fairies flew. Aurora and and Philip rode Samson and I held Steven close and teleported the two of us to the gates of Magic Kingdom. I was wearing my favorite purple dress and Steven wore his black suit, with a shirt the same shade as my dress. He looked wonderful.

We'd barely made it on to Main Street when the hugs and cheers began. Nessa, Joy and the rest of their siblings, Ariel, Eric and Ursula, Nick and Judy, even Jack Sparrow.

As we entered Fantasyland, we found Facilier waiting for us.

"Steven, my friend, may I ask you a question? As one magic man to another?"

"Sure."

"Have you ever considered the possibility that all of this never even existed _until_ you dreamed it?"

I gave him a dirty look. "Not cool, Facilier. Not cool at all."  
He laughed. "Just a joke, Maleficent. Just a little trans-dimensional humor."

Inside Be Our Guest, we ran into the Solo-Skywalker family. Leia, Han, Luke, Ben and Moana.

I got a hug from everyone except Ben, who preferred a handshake.

"I really missed you", Leia said.

"I can't wait to catch up." I smiled to Moana. "I'm glad to see we're not the only improbably happy couple around anymore."  
She smiled and put her arm around Ben.

As the party went on, Steven and I wound our way to the side of the restaurant, to find a little pocket for just the two of us. He leaned over and kissed my cheek.

"I will always find it fascinating that I had to fall into a coma to find the love of my life."  
I grinned. "What can I say? I'm literally your dream girl."

"I love when you smile like that, you know? I love to see you thinking of things that make you happy."  
"I am indeed. I'm thinking about all the names and titles I've had."

"Names?"

"Well, remember when I discovered that I was no longer simply Maleficent, but I was also Steven's girlfriend?"  
He giggled. "It goes both ways. I wasn't just the new guy. I was Maleficent's boyfriend."  
"And since then I've become a friend to Muppets, an honorary Wilderness Explorer, a confidante of the rebel alliance and even a hotel manager. Not to mention I'm still the Mistress of All Evil."  
"Even more variance than a list of Stan Lee cameos."

That made me smile even more. But there was something in his eyes. A lingering trace of regret.

"Steven, I think you still feel that you owe my something. That you have something to make up to me. You don't, I assure you."

He took a breath. "I know. It's just a hard feeling to shake. I know I couldn't be happier that we're here. I know that's all I really want."  
I leaned in a little closer. "If you do want to do something for me, there is something I would like."  
"I will do anything for you."  
I smiled and moved even closer. "Marry me again."  
He grinned. "You really want that?"

I nodded.

"How shall we do it? Sneak off to the beach like last time?"

I shook my head slowly. "No. This time I want it to be with all our friends."  
He took my face in his hands and kissed me. "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive."  
"Then you've got it." He turned to the crowd. "Mickey! Where are you, pal?"  
A moment later, Mickey came dodging through the party to us.

"Hiya, Steven! What's up?"

"I was wondering if you could do something for us?"  
"Anything! Anything at all."  
Steven looked to me and smiled. Then he returned his gaze to Mickey. "Can you marry us?"

Mickey's eyes opened wide. He jumped up and down. "Oh boy! Oh boy! I was hoping you'd say that!" He took our hands. "When do you want to do it?"  
"No time like the present", I said.

Mickey reached into his pocket and produced two rings.

Steven laughed. "Were you expecting this?"

"Expecting? No. But it's good to be prepared." He handed a ring to each of us. As I looked at the one I held, the letters M and S appeared on it, intertwined.

"I don't think I should ask you to choose a best man or maid of honor. Might be too difficult to decide."  
"It would have to be Aurora or Hildy", I said. "Though that might hurt Leia's feelings..."

"No one's feelings are getting hurt today", Mickey said. "Are you both ready?"  
I looked to Steven. He nodded. I turned to Mickey. "We are."  
Mickey took hold of our hands again and led us through the crowd, to the center of the room.

"Attention, everyone! Attention! Can I have your attention, please?"  
As the assembly turned silent, Mickey raised his arms and called out, "We are going to have a wedding!"  
The silence was shattered with cheers and whistles and applause. I'd never heard a happier sound.

Mickey turned to face the two of us. The crowd hushed once more.

"Maleficent, do you promise to love Steven, with all your heart, for all the days to come?"  
"I do." I slid the ring onto Steven's finger.

"Steven, will you love Maleficent, more than anything, forever and ever?"

"I will." He placed his ring on me.

"Then it is my great honor to pronounce you married. Prince Steven and... _Princess_ Maleficent."

The sound of merriment was deafening. The feeling of joy was overwhelming.

And, at the center of it all were Steven and I, engaged in a kiss.

And we lived.

Happily

Ever

After


End file.
